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Abington 

(Pa. 

) .  Presbyteriai 

Church. 

History 

of  Abington 

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ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 


ABINGTON 
PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

ABINGTON,    PA. 


COMPILED  BY 
CAPTAIN  NICHOLAS  BAGGS 


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With  preface  and  last  ten  years  of  history  by  the  present  pastor 

1914 


1914 

Robinson    Publishing    Company 

Hatboro,  Pa. 


PREFACE. 


^Tr%, 


^ 


HE  present  generation  seem  to  be  more  interested 
in  what  is  going  to  happen  to-morrow  than  in 
what  happened  yesterday.  To  many  the 
past  is  a  closed  book.  Their  motto  is 
''Forgetting  those  things  which  are  behind." 
There  is  something  very  enconraging  for  our- 
selves in  the  determination  not  to  limit  the  possibili- 
ties of  the  future  by  the  attainments  of  the  past.  Like 
St.  Paul  we  must  ever  press  toward  the  higher  mark.  And 
past  gains  are  not  to  be  the  measure  of  future  growth 
and  usefulness.  But  the  continuity  of  life  cannot  be 
divided  at  any  point  to  suit  our  pleasure;  we  cannot  fold 
up  the  past,  wrap  it  carefully  and  lay  it  aside  to  be  for- 
gotten, as  no  longer  a  part  of  us.  We  would  not  if  we 
could,  nor  could  we  if  we  would.  There  is  a  thread  of 
loving  association  and  memory  that  binds  the  past  to  the 
present  in  such  a  way  that  it  cannot  be  broken.  All  that 
we  have  and  are  in  the  present  has  come  to  us  out  of  the 
days  that  have  gone.  To  some  of  us  come  tender  mes- 
sages from  the  ''touch  of  a  hand  that  has  vanished,  and 
the  sound  of  a  voice  that  is  still. ' '  There  have  been 
dark  days  which  still  leave  their  lengthening  shadows 
upon  us,  but  there  are  dear  and  ever  bright  faces  that 
shine  out  upon  us  from  the  shadows,  and  there  is  the  echo 
of  loving  voices,  long  silent,  sounding  in  our  hearts,  nev- 
er to  die  away.  When  we  go  across  the  way  to  our  old 
cemetery,  where  pastors,  elders  and  beloved  ancestors  of 
nearly  200  j^ears  ago  lie  buried,  these  graves  seem  to  say 
to  us  "  Our  earthly  day  has  passed,  the  present  is  yours, 
make  the  most  of  it."      But  before  we  go  on  to  what  we 

(iii) 


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iv  PREFACE 

may  become,  it  will  be  wise  to  listen  to  other  messages 
from  those  engraved  stones,  to  catch  notes  of  warning 
and  good  cheer  and  inspiration  from  the  wider  and  deep- 
er experience  of  those  who  have  traveled  on  before,  who 
have  fought  the  good  fight  and  kept  the  faith.  They  tell 
US  that  great  lives  can  be  lived  again,  great  ideals  ad- 
vanced and  great  deeds  repeated. 

And  so  with  that  spirit  of  reverence  for  the  past, 
which  links  generation  to  generation,  and  practically 
makes  the  race  one,  Abington  church  has  prepared  this 
volume  for  the  present  generation  and  those  who  are  to 
follow.  For  we  believe  that  the  history  of  Abington 
church,  rich  in  its  memories  of  noble  characters  and  mo- 
mentous events,  is  an  asset  worthy  of  the  most  careful 
preservation  as  a  guide  and  index  for  the  future. 

This  book  is  not  given  to  the  public  as  an  original 
narrative  by  one  writer,  but  the  compiler,  Captain  Nich- 
olas Baggs,  has  devoted  his  time  with  untiring  energy  to 
gathering  the  facts  herein  contained  from  all  sources 
available.  It  was  about  ten  years  ago  that  the  Histor- 
ical Society  of  Abington  church  was  formed  for  the  pur- 
pose of  collecting  material  that  could  be  shaped  into  a 
memorial  volume  by  the  time  the  church  celebrated  its 
200th  anniversary.  We  have  heard  many  persons  say 
they  hoped  their  lives  would  be  spared  until  this  occa- 
sion. And  now  in  this  year  1914  the  time  has  arrived. 
Two  completed  centuries  of  continuous  life  and  activity 
is  no  short  period  of  history  for  a  church  here  in  Amer- 
ica. It  spans  almost  half  the  time  that  has  elapsed 
since  America 's  discovery.  In  point  of  age,  our  church 
stands  third  in  the  state  of  Pennsylvania.  In  view  of 
this  long  and  noble  record  of  our  beloved  church  we, 
therefore,  deem  it  wise  to  present  to  the  present  members 
and  all  who  are  interested  this  memorial  volume,  and 
which,  if  it  serves  no  other  purpose,  we  hope  will  be  a 
guide  as  well  as  an  inspiration  in  future  celebrations  of  a 
longer  period. 

James  W.  Williams. 


CIRCULAR  LETTER  V 

"THE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  OF  ABINGTON 
PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH." 

In  1914  the  Abington  Presbyterian  Church  will  cele- 
brate two  centuries  of  completed  history. 

In  order  that  this  occasion  may  be  suitably  honored, 
the  Congregation,  at  its  annual  meeting  on  April  2,  1903, 
authorized  a  committee  of  three  to  make  preparations  for 
the  event  by  the  following  Preambles  and  Resolutions : 

Whereas,  The  Abington  Presbyterian  Church  is  now 
nearing  the  Two  Hundredth  Anniversary  of  its  existence, 
and  during  its  history  it  has  had  many  persons  connected 
with  it: 

And  Whereas,  Believing  that  the  Records  of  the 
Church  would  show  such  a  membership  as  would  prove 
of  incalculable  interest  to  their  descendants,  that  a  Mem- 
orial Volume,  properly  prepared,  would  command  a  large 
sale,  therefore 

Resolved,  That  a  Committee  be  appointed  by  the  Ses- 
sion to  examine  the  Records  and  prepare  such  a  Memor- 
ial, and  the  funds  arising  from  the  sale  be  added  to  the 
Endowment  Fund. 

Resolved,  That  said  Committee  make  an  Annual  Re- 
port to  the  Congregational  Meeting.  Any  expense  con- 
nected with  this  work  shall  be  collected  by  the  Committee 
by  private  subscriptions — no  expense  being  incurred  by 
the  Church. 

Extract  from  the  Minutes. 

J.  M.  COLTON,  Secretary. 

Abington,  Pa.,  Oct.  18,  1903. 
At  a  meeting  of  Session  held  this  mornbig,  action 
was  taken  on  the  resolution  adopted  at  the  annual  meet- 
ing of  the  congregation  of  the  Abington  Presbyterian 
Church,  held  April  2nd,  1903,  instructing  the  Session  to 
appoint  a  committee  to  prepare  a  sketch  of  the  Church  to 


vi  CIRCULAR  LETTER 

be  presented  at  tlie  200tli  anniversary  of  tlie  Church,  to  be 
held  in  the  year  1914. 

Elder  John  C.  Hunter  proposed  the  names  of  the  fol- 
lowing members  of  the  Church,  to  be  known  hereafter  as 
the  ' 'Historical  Committee, ' '  with  full  power  to  act :  Mr. 
Nicholas  Baggs,  Mr.  Frank  K.  Fenton  and  Mr.  George 
Hamel,  Jr.  On  motion  they  were  unanimously  elected 
and  the  Clerk  instructed  to  notify  the  Committee  through 
its  Chairman,  Mr.  Baggs. 

EOBEETS  STEVENSON, 

Clerk  of  Session. 

The  Committee  met  and  organized  November  8th, 
1903. 

NICHOLAS  BAGGS,  Clmirman. 
FRANK  K.  FENTON,  Treasurer. 
GEORGE  HAMEL,  JR.,  Seeretarij. 

The  Committee,  in  forecasting  the  work  to  be  done, 
recognize  the  importance  of  submitting  something  that 
will  be  acceptable  to  every  one  that  is  at  all  interested  in 
Abington  Church.  This  will  appeal  to  everyone  whose 
ancestors  were  associated  in  any  way  with  the  life  of  the 
church  or  whose  remains  lie  buried  in  the  old  church- 
yard. 

It  is  proposed  by  the  Committee  that  the  Memorial  Vol- 
ume should  contain  the  name  and  a  short  history  of  every- 
one who  was  at  any  time  a  communicant  member  or  at- 
tendant at  worship  there,  and  of  every  child  that  was  bap- 
tised or  attended  Sunday  School. 

The  Committee,  feeling  the  need  of  the  co-operation 
of  everybody  that  could  be  interested  in  the  work,  made 
their  report  to  the  Congregational  meeting  April  7th, 
1904,  and  asked  for  authority  to  form  a  Historical  So- 
ciety.     This  was  given  in  the  following: 

Resolved,  That  the  Historical  Committee  be  empower- 
ed to  form  "The  Historical  Society  of  Abington  Presby- 
terian Church,"  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  the  Llistorical 


CIRCULAR  LETTER  vii 

Oommittee  in  the  collection  of  material  for  such  history, 
and  by  the  contribution  of  dues  for  annual  and  life  mem- 
bership and  donations — to  raise  the  necessary  means  for 
their  expenses. 

Adopted  at  Annual  Meeting,  April  7th,  1904. 

J.  M.  COLTON,  .Secretary. 

Armed  with  this  authority  the  Committee  in  this 
communication  desire  to  present  themselves  intelligently 
before  every  possible  person  to  be  interested,  and  ask 
your  co-operation  and  help. 

First — In  furnishing  such  information  as  you  can 
about  yourself  and  any  one  of  your  ancestors,  or  anyone 
that  ever  attended  the  Church. 

Second — To  become  a  member  of  the  Historical  So- 
ciety and  contribute  $1.00  per  year  as  annual  dues,  or  be- 
come a  life  member  by  paying  $10.00. 

A  copy  of  the  following  letter  was  sent  to  each  of  the 
former  Pastors  then  living,  enclosing  a  copy  of  the  fore- 
going for  their  information: 

Abington,  Pa.,  June  1,  1904. 
The  enclosed  proposed  Circular  is  forwarded  for  your 
information,  and,  in  connection  with  it,  I  ask  for  any  sug- 
gestion that  may  come  to  your  mind,  that  will  make  the 
work  more  interesting.  Specially  do  we  desire  to  have 
from  you  such  a  letter  of  reminiscence  of  your  connection 
with  the  Church  as  you  may  see  fit  to  make.  It  is  pro- 
posed to  have  the  circular  printed  and  sent  to  every  inter- 
ested person,  and  your  letter  will  be  inserted  in  this  cir- 
cular, and  also  in  the  Memorial  Volume. 

Awaiting  your  very  much  desired  reply. 
Yours  truly, 

NICHOLAS  BAGGS,  Chairman. 

The  following  replies  were  received : 


viii  CIRCULAR  LETTER 

PARK  STREET  CHURCH. 

Boston,  Mass.,  September  10, 1904. 
Captain  Nicholas  Baggs, 

and  others  of  Abington  Presbyterian  Church : 

It  is  most  welcome  news  that  you  are  soon  to 
celebrate  the  200th  anniversary  of  the  beloved  old  church. 
The  love  I  have  for  that  church  is  not  the  least  less 
than  when  I  was  serving  those  five  and  one-half  years  of 
my  pastorate.  I  could  talk  long,  and  would  have  to  do  so 
to  relate  things  that  occurred  in  those  busy  years.  The 
story  of  how  we  came  to  get  the  new  building  (I  secured 
every  cent  of  the  subscription  for  building),  and  how 
happy  the  people  were  when  it  was  done,  makes  a  good 
story.  But  iVbington  is  larger  than  any  one  worker  of 
the  many  who  have  wrought  for  Christ  in  its  200  years  of 
existence.  All  that  you  will  doubtless  set  forth  when 
your  Anniversary  Day  comes  round.  There  will  be  none 
gladder  to  share  in  the  services  of  that  occasion  than 
Yours  fraternallv, 

JNO.  LINDSAY  WITHROW. 


Dr.  S.  T.  Lowrie, 
No.  1827  Pine  Street, 
Philadelphia. 
June  3,  '04. 
My  Dear  Capt.  Baggs : 

I  reinclose  to  you  the  circular  received  this  morning 
with  your  letter,  having  carefully  read  it.  I  think  you 
may  find  further  use  for  it,  and  I  am  afraid  I  may  lose 
track  of  it  if  I  try  to  file  it.  The  institution  of  The  Hist. 
So&y  of  Abington  Presh.  Church  interests  me  very  much, 
and  I  wish  it  lasting  existence  and  success.  It  will  give 
me  much  satisfaction  to  be  enrolled  as  an  Honorary  Mem- 
ber, in  the  company  of  Dr.  Withrow  and  others. 

I  must,  of  course,  try  to  meet  the  expectations  ex- 
pressed by  your  request  in  the  letter  enclosing  the  Cir- 
cular, viz.,  for  a  letter  of  reminiscences  of  my  connection 


CIRCULAR  LETTER  ix 

with  the  church.  Since  you  intimate  a  purpose  of  using 
the  letter  I  may  write  as  part  of  an  intended  reproduc- 
tion of  the  Circular  in  print,  I  infer  that  the  letter  ought 
to  be  brief.  I  would  infer  the  same  from  the  fact  that  you 
desire  to  have  such  a  letter  soon,  because  you  must  desire 
to  send  out  your  circular  as  soon  as  posible. 

Yours  truly, 

SAM'L  T.  LOWBIE. 


Easton,  Pa.,  September  5,  1904. 
My  Dear  Capt.  Baggs: 

I  cannot  too  heartily  express  appreciation  of  the  re- 
solve to  suitably  commemorate  the  approaching  200th 
anniversary  of  dear  old  Abington  church.  The  appoint- 
ment of  an  Historical  Committee  to  promote  the  project, 
and  collect  material  for  a  Memorial  Volume,  is  wise  and 
practical.  In  its  furtherance,  my  assistance  may  be  com- 
manded to  any  extent.  I  cannot  but  believe  that  a  large 
and  enthusiastic  constituency  will  uphold  and  make  suc- 
cessful your  scheme,  and  so  perpetuate  many  blessed 
memories — and  preserve  for  future  generations  facts  of 
utmost  interest  and  value. 

Thank  the  congregation  for  making  me,  as  an  ex- 
Pastor,  an  honorary  member  of  the  Historical  Society 
which  is  expected  to  co-operate  with  your  Committee. 

But  I  greatly  prefer  to  be  found  '4n  the  ranks" — and 
will  claim  the  iDrivilege  of  bearing  my  share  of  the  ex- 
pense. 

Yours  sincerely, 

LEIGHTON  W.  ECKARD. 


53  Church  St.,  Montclair,  N.  J.,  June  15,  '04. 
Mr.  Nicholas  Baggs, 

Abington,  Pa. 
My  Dear  Mr.  Baggs : 

Please  pardon  the  delay  in  answering  your  letter. 
First  of  all,  let  me  congratulate  old  Abington  on  the  near 


X  CIRCULAR  LETTER 

approach  of  its  200tli  anniversary-.  The  church  has  not 
.simply  existed — it  has  lived,  nobly  and  well.  I  am  glad 
to  hear  that  this  occasion  will  be  observed  in  such  a  be- 
fitting manner.  Surely  all  who  have  had  the  privilege  of 
being  connected  with  the  church  will  hail  the  memorial 
volume  with  delight.  First  impressions,  it  is  said,  are 
lasting.  It  was  at  Abington  that  I  was  ordained  to  the 
Gospel  ministry.  It  was  there,  too,  where  I  began  my 
ministerial  career.  In  my  two  years  and  a  half  pastorate, 
I  gained  impressions  which  have  been  of  great  value  to 
me  since.  To  a  minister,  the  first  pastorate  has  many 
tender  memories.  These  memories,  to  me,  are  still  fra- 
grant. May  many  more  years  of  usefulness  be  added  to 
the  history  of  the  grand  old  church. 
Sincerely  yours, 

LLEWELLYN  S.  FULMER. 


Georgetown,  Del.,  September  20,  1904. 
Mr.  Nicholas  Baggs, 

Chairman  of  the  Historical  Committee  of  Abington 
church. 

My  Dear  Friend:  The  careful  collection  of  the  data 
concerning  Abington  church,  and  the  compilation  of  a 
trustworthy  history,  is  an  important  undertaking.  Im- 
portant, not  because,  like  the  neighboring  Pennypack 
church,  Abington  has  closed  its  historic  career,  but  be- 
cause the  past  may  well  be  expected  to  serve  as  the  foun- 
dations of  a  great  work  hereafter  in  the  beautiful  envi- 
rons of  Philadelphia.  The  chapters  of  the  church's  past 
are  bright  with  the  record  of  exceptional  piety,  diligent 
enterprise  and  benevolent  devotion;  and  we  fondly  believe 
that  after  the  trials  and  testings  of  the  transition  from  a 
country  to  a  suburban  church  are  over,  there  will  come  an 
era  of  strength  and  influence,  in  which  the  good  seed  of 
the  past  will  bear  abundant  harvest  in  the  character,  con- 
duct and  influence,  of  an  enlarged  membership. 

Called  to  the  pastorate  in  June  of  1895,  it  was  my 


CIRCULAR  LETTER  xi 

privilege  to  share  with  the  people  of  Abington  chnrcli  in 
the  loss  of  their  church  building  by  fire,  October,  1895, 
and  also  in  the  labours  of  its  successful  reconstruction 
and  complete  equipment,  free  from  debt.  The  courage 
and  devotion  of  the  diminished  membership  in  that  try- 
ing ordeal  seems  greater  the  farther  one  gets  from  the 
-stress  of  their  straitened  circumstances. 

With  best  wishes  for  the  success  of  your  work, 
Fraternallv, 

JOHN  R.  HENDERSON. 


Philadelphia,  August  23d,  1904. 

The  two  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  Abington 
Presbyterian  Church  brings  to  mind  ''Cheerful  yester- 
days and  bright  tomorrows."  I  do  not  wonder  that  the 
pioneers  of  two  centuries  ago  chose  this  steppe-crowned 
hill  as  a  suitable  place  to  be  set  apart  for  the  service  of 
God.  Like  the  Tabernacle  of  old,  this  temple  of  worship 
stands  with  its  doorway  facing  the  rising  sun;  one  of  :he 
high  places  of  the  land.  To  this  place  of  worship  have 
come  generation  after  generation  of  interested  and  devot- 
ed worshippers  who,  by  their  labors  of  love  and  lives  of 
faith,  have  "Pointed  to  higher  worlds  and  led  the  way." 
AVhat  advancement  in  civil,  social  and  religious  life  has 
been  witnessed  since  the  first  band  of  worshippers  as- 
sembled in  Abington!  A  whole  generation  lived  and 
wrought,  and  passed  from  the  scene  of  action  before  the 
declaration  of  Independence  was  penned;  no  doubt,  they 
did  their  part  in  sowing  the  seed  of  Presbyterianism  that 
made  Pennsylvania  the  keystone  of  the  thirteen  colonies. 

In  the  onward  march  of  world-wide  mission  work, 
that  has  been  such  a  marked  feature  of  the  Christian 
Church  of  this  last  century,  this  congregation  has  stood  in 
the  front  rank,  and  has  made  its  influence  felt,  through 
the  victories  of  the  Cross,  to  the  farthest  ends  of  the 
earth. 


xii  CIRCULAR  LETTER 

To  its  members  it  can  be  truly  said  ' '  The  lines  have 
fallen  to  you  in  pleasant  places  and  your  heritage  is  a 
goodly  one."     May  the  inspiration  of  two  centuries  of 
faith  and  achievement  lead  to  still  nobler  service. 
Yours  most  cordially, 

W.  SCOTT  NEVIN. 


CHAPTER  I. 
THE  FIRST  RECORDS  OF  ABINGTON  CHURCH. 

The  beginning  of  Abington  Presbyterian  church  is 
shown  in  the  following  extract  from  the  records: 

'*In  the  Township  of  Abington,  year  1711,  we  whose 
names  are  underwritten  have  engaged  ourselves  to  be  Ye 
Lord's,  and  do  hereby  engage  ourselves  to  Ye  Lord  and 
to  one  another  to  unite  in  a  Church-State  according  to 
rule  God  gave  in  his  word  to  direct  his  church  in  all  the 
duty  required  toward  God,  ourselves  and  toward  all  men. 
The  Lord  please  to  aid  and  direct  us: 


Malachi  Jones  (Pastor) 
Abednego  Thomas,  (Elder) 
James  Groom, 
David  Williams, 
Edward  Larence, 
Gotwait  Winekoop,  - 
David  Harry, 
Dorick  Crusson,  ^ 
William  Blick, 
Malachi  Jones,  Jr., 
William  W^atkin, 
Ann  Jones, 
Mary  Thomas, 
Sarah  Gunton, 

' Williams, 

Helsowik, 

Lonington, 

Ann  Charlesworth, 
Elizabeth  Jones, 

(1) 


Benjamin  Jones  (Elder) 
James  Abraham, 
James  Torrill, 
Evan  Morgan, 
Joseph  Charlesworth, 
Mathew  Kinroy, 
Robert  Z.  Taylor, 
Stoffel  Van  Sant,  (Elder). 
Benjamin  Armitage, 
Joshua  Jones, 
Mary  Jones, 
Martha  Jones, 
Sarah  Abraham, 
Mary  Thomas, 
Mary  Larence, 
Martha  Helsowik, 
Catharine  Harry, 
Mary  Richard, 
Ann  Hoffty, 


/ 


2  HISTORY    OF 

Elizabeth  Armitage,  Jane  Jamison, 

Margaret  Ronnick,  Sara  Ronnick, 

George  Ronnick,  James  Erwin, 
Joseph  Breden,  (Elder)  Benjamin  Cliarlesworth,, 

Benjamin  Southerd,  William  Brittin, 

Cornelius  "Winekoop,  Charles  Halsee, 

Nathaniel  Brittin,  Francis  Mackonie, 

Archibald  McClean,  James  Lockert, 

William  Todd,  Margaret  Broden, 

Joana  Broden,  Mary  Broden, 

Elizabeth  Broden,  Catharine  Jones, 

Elizabeth  Southerd,  Rachel  Brittin, 

Annetie  Winekoop,  Lydia  Watlers, 

Mary  Gilky,  Elizabeth  Brittin, 

Alice  Todd,  Elizabeth  Morgan, 

Sara  Duffield,  Martha  Brittin. ' ' 
70  in  all. 

Time  and  imperfect  letter  formation  have  rendered- 
the  records  so  obscure  that  these  names  have  been  secur- 
ed with  difficulty.  Possibly  there  are  some  mistakes  in 
the  spelling. 

The  characteristics  of  the  different  people  from 
which  our  community  has  grown  is  given  by  Rev.  Dr. 
Thomas  Murphy  in  his  work  known  as  ' '  The  Cradle  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church. ' ' 


''The  first  stage  in  God's  providential  plan  of  prepar- 
ing an  American  Presbyterian  church  for  America  was 
the  gathering  together  of  the  people  who  would  form  it. 
The  character  of  these  had  a  very  great  influence  on  wha  t 
this  church  afterward  became.  There  are  specialties  of 
Christian  life  and  character  in  every  religious  associa- 
tion. No  two  of  them  are  precisely  alike  in  their  tone  of 
piety,  modes  of  worship  and  manner  of  work,  even  when 
their  principles  and  doctrines  are  the  same.  Then,  all 
these  are  more  or  less  influenced  by  the  bias  they  at  first 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  a 

receive.  The  original  characteristics  which  marked 
them  are  never  utterly  lost.  Hence  the  great  impor- 
tance of  ascertaining  the  first  imxoulses  which  entered  in- 
to their  formation. 

In  our  Presbytery  there  were  three  distinct  ele- 
ments which  can  be  historically  traced  as  having  given  it 

its  character:" 

*     *     *     * 

' '  The  other  Scotch-Irish  element  in  the  origin  of  our 
Presbytery  was  furnished  by  the  immigration  of  Presby- 
terians from  the  North  of  Ireland  into  Philadelphia  and 
its  neighborhood.  These  immigrants  brought  with  them 
their  religion,  their  Church  and  their  creed.  They  had 
suffered  too  much  for  their  faith  to  allow  it  to  be  lost. 
Who  they  were  is  well  described  by  Dr.  McCosh  in  his 
Tercentenary  speech :  ' '  The  Irish  Presbyterian  Church  is 
the  oldest  and  fairest  of  the  daughters  of  Scotland.  The 
American  Presbyterian  Church  will  not  forget  that  it  is 
through  the  Irish  Church  she  claims  descent  from  that 
Church  which  is  the  mother  of  us  all." 

''Then  the  chief  characteristics  they  imparted  were 
soundness  of  doctrine,  intelligence  of  faith  and  steadfast- 
ness to  their  convictions.  These  features  they  impress- 
ed so  deeply  that  they  have  never  been  effaced.  We 
claim  them  still,  and  rejoice  with  thankfulness  that  ser- 
ious error  has  never  been  permitted  to  intrude  to  deface 
the  glorious  heritage  with  which  we  have  been  entrusted. 
Only  once  in  the  forty  years  of  the  writer's  connection 
with  the  body  can  he  recall  one  word  of  heresy  as  coming 
from  a  preacher  in  all  our  bounds. 

GERMAN  CALVANISTIC  ELEMENT. 

The  next  ingredient  which  entered  into  the  composi- 
tion of  our  Presbytery  came  from  the  Palatinate  of  Ger- 
many, from  Switzerland  and  from  Holland.      The  name- 


4  HISTORY    OF 

which  they  claimed  for  themselves  was  that  of  Gennaii 
Calvanists.  This  ingredient  has  never  received  that  dis- 
tinct and  emphatic  recognition  which  it  deserves.  An, 
important  portion  of  our  territory — namely,  German- 
town,  Frankford  and  the  surrounding  country — was  set- 
tled by  this  people." 

''The  leading  characteristics  of  these  German 
preachers,  as  of  the  churches  from  which  they  came,  were 
their  ardor,  their  stability,  their  adherence  from  age  to 
age  to  the  established  customs  of  their  church-life.  They 
were  not  liable  to  be  carried  about  by  every  wind  of  doc- 
trine or  to  be  influenced  by  every  novelty  of  practice. 
From  them  this  feature  of  church-life  has  come  down  to 
us.  With  us  there  are  no  continual  innovations,  no  ap- 
ing of  forms  and  ritualisms,  no  thirst  for  novelties.  Our 
customs  of  church-life  and  the  elements  of  our  worship 
are  stable.  The  good  old  ways  we  have  learned  from 
the  Bible  and  the  fathers,  which  have  been  established 
and  which  God  has  blessed,  are  to  be  found  in  all  our 
churches. 

THE  NEW  ENGLAND  ELEMENT. 

The  third  element  which  was  after  a  time  incorpor- 
ated in  the  life  of  the  Presbytery  was  that  which  came 
from  New  England." 

"These  had  imbibed  the  spirit  of  the  Pilgrim  Fath- 
ers, had  been  trained  in  the  Shorter  Catechism,  and  were 
amongst  the  most  godly  of  men  and  women.  They  brought 
with  them  their  active  energy,  their  practical  tact,  their 
force  and  their  enterprise,  and  they  imparted  these  qual- 
ities to  our  whole  body,  as  has  been  seen  in  the  continued 
formation  of  new  churches  in  our  bounds  in  numbers  far 
greater  than  most  of  us  are  accustomed  to  consider. 

ENGLISH,  WELSH  AND  QUAKERS. 
Besides  these  three  leading  ingredients  in  the  orig- 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  S 

inal  formation  of  our  church-life,  there  were  still  others 
which  were  not  so  influential,  but  still  were  sufficiently 
important  to  require  a  distinct  notice.  They  were  all  to 
be  found  amid  our  churches,  and  their  influence  may  be 
traced  even  to  the  present  time." 

**In  the  land  from  which  they  came  they  had  general- 
ly been  connected  with  the  Congregational  or  Indepen- 
dent church,  and,  finding  our  doctrinal  system  the  same 
as  that  which  they  had  at  home,  they  had  no  difficulty  in 
identifying  themselves  with  us." 

*  *     *     * 

' '  The  Welsh  Calvanistic  influence  upon  our  religious 
life  is  the  next  which  we  are  led  to  notice." 

*  *     *     * 

''These  faithful  people  were  driven  by  thousands 
from  their  homes  by  the  most  abominable  and  persistent 
persecution.  Coming  out  from  the  midst  of  glorious  re- 
vival scenes,  with  their  hearts  inflamed  by  love  to  Clirist 
and  his  cause,  they  settled  in  large  numbers  in  the  terri- 
tory of  our  Presbytery.  Several  townships  on  the  east 
of  the  Schuylkill  River  were  given  to  them  and  occupied 
by  them.  Welsh  names  are  still  found  in  our  towns,  such 
as  North  Wales,  Gwynedd  and  Penllyn.  Also,  among 
the  faithful  men  of  our  history  who  sprung  from  them 
were  the  Rev.  David  Evans,  the  Rev.  Malachi  Jones  and 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Davies.  These  men  and  others  like 
them  contributed  to  our  religious  character  earnest 
Christian  life,  love  of  religious  ordinances  and  strong  at- 
tachment to  the  Bible  and  Bible  doctrines. 

The  remaining  element  which  mingled  in  our  early 
history  was  that  which  came  from  the  Quakers.  In  much 
of  our  teiTitory  our  churches  were  surrounded  by  the  fam- 
ilies of  influential  Friends,  and,  as  was  natural,  numbers 
of  them  from  time  to  time  became  interested  in  our  sys- 
tem, and  finally  embraced  it,  and  were  found  among  our 


6  HISTORY    OF 

most  faithful  members.  There  has  been  a  movement  of 
this  kind  much  more  extensive  than  is  imagined.  The 
spirit  of  that  people,  so  quiet  and  undemonstrative,  ha& 
prevented  much  display.  We  could  name  eloquent 
preachers  who  have  entered  our  ranks  from  that  source. 
In  a  quiet  manner,  have  private  members  recruited  our 
numbers  by  uniting  with  our  churches.  In  most  of  our 
congregations  are  to  be  found  those  descended  from  old 
families  of  Friends  who  have  become  earnest  and  intelli- 
gent workers  with  us — who  have  given  all  their  old  fam- 
ily influence  to  the  upbuilding  of  our  cause.  The  char- 
acteristic of  this  element  of  our  communion  is  unostenta- 
tious but  deep  and  true  piety.  On  this  very  account  their 
coming  to  us  has  been  little  displayed  or  even  noticed.  It 
has  not  been  paraded,  though  going  on  steadily,  constant- 
ly and  influentially. 

This  element  also  has  imparted  its  own  feature  to  the 
life  of  our  churches.  That  life  has  been  eminently  unos- 
tentatious and  quiet,  though  very  deep.  There  has  been 
little  display,  and  yet  there  has  been  progress.  We  have 
not  crowded  the  daily  papers  with  our  affairs.  Perhaps 
we  have  not  aroused  as  much  attention  and  sympathy  as 
we  should  have  done  in  order  to  accomplish  the  utmost 
that  we  might. ' ' 

THE  OFFSPRING  OF  THE  PERSECUTED. 

''With  all  truthfulness  may  it  be  said  that  the  Pres- 
bytery was  originally  made  up  of  the  descendants  of 
those  who  had  suffered — suffered  sorely,  thousands  of 
them  even  dying  for  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Christ  Jesus — in 
other  lands.  We  have  not  been  mindful  of  this  and  nerv- 
ed by  it,  as  undoubtedly  we  should  have  been.  Only  when 
the  facts  are  gathered  together  into  one  group  and  con- 
templated in  the  mass  can  it  be  even  proximatel}^  appre- 
ciated. It  has  been  seen  that  the  leading  germs  from 
which  our  strength  has  grown  were  all  derived  from  im- 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  7 

migration.  But  who  and  what  were  these  immigrants'? 
In  every  case  they  were  either  themselves  fugitives  from 
persecution  or  the  descendants  of  those  who  had  suffered 
in  the  fires.  When  we  look  at  any  special  immigration 
which  entered  into  our  upbuilding,  we  find  that,  without 
exception,  it  was  occasioned  by  the  persecutions  that  were 
raging  in  the  land  from  which  it  came. 

We  may  see  this  first  in  that  chief  ingredient  which 
originally  constituted  our  church — namely,  the  Scotch- 
Irish.  Who  were  those  steadfast  and  noble  men  who 
laid  our  foundations  "I  They  were  the  descendants  of  the 
men  who  under  the  persecutions  of  Charles  II,  were  driv- 
en by  Claverhouse  and  his  remorseless  dragoons  out  of 
Scotland  into  Ireland.  The  time  of  the  coming  of  this 
first  immigration  was  significant.  The  murderous  perse- 
cution in  Scotland  ceased  only  in  1688,  but  seventeen 
years,  be  it  observed,  before  the  Presbytery  was  organiz- 
ed. What,  again  it  may  be  asked,  was  the  character  of 
that  persecution  by  which  those  faithful  men  were  driven 
from  their  fatherland  into  Ireland  ?  According  to  the 
testimony  of  Dr.  Blaikie,  "During  the  reigns  of  Charles 
II  and  James  II,  the  cases  of  persecution  were  very  num- 
erous, and  in  innumerable  cases  most  harrowing.  It  was 
reckoned  that  in  twenty-eight  years  eighteen  thousand 
persons  were  either  banished  or  put  to  death. ' '  More- 
over, these  victims  of  persecution,  first  driven  from  Scot- 
land, thus  becoming  the  Scotch-Irish,  and  then  so  many 
of  them  driven  again  to  Pennsylvania,  were  the  very  flow- 
er of  the  land  from  which  they  came.  The  same  excel- 
lent authority  asserts:  "It  is  very  certain  that  between 
1580  and  1688  the  friends  and  upholders  of  the  Covenants 
embraced  nearly  all  of  the  most  learned,  devout  and  ear- 
nest ministers  of  the  church  of  Scotland  and  many  lajTnen 
in  high  places.  The  real  lovers  of  the  gospel  were  the 
Presbyterians,  and  the  revivals  of  earnest  religion  were 
associated  with  them."  Dr.  Blaikie  adds:  "The  stand 
for  freedom,  civil  and  religious,  made  by  these  people  was 


8  HISTORY    OF 

of  the  noblest  character,  and  conferred  incalculable  bene- 
fit upon  both  Church  and  State.  Had  they  been  crush- 
ed, ecclesiastical  liberty  would  have  perished  within  the 
Reformed  churches. ' ' 

As  is  well  known,  thousands  of  these  Scotch  Presby- 
terians fled  from  their  remorseless  persecutors  to  the 
North  of  Ireland.  They  settled  there  and  changed  the 
religious  character  of  the  country.  But  what  soon  be- 
fell them  in  Ireland?  Persecution — persecution  again 
under  the  Stuart,  James  II.  That  j^ersecution  arose  to 
gigantic  proportions  at  the  siege  of  Derry  in  1689,  only 
sixteen  years  before  the  formation  of  the  Presbytery.  In 
that  siege  the  extremes  of  famine  and  pestilence  and 
death  itself  were  endured.  Another  terrible  scene  of 
that  persecution  was  at  the  battle  of  the  Boyne  in  1690, 
only  fifteen  years  before  the  formation  of  the  Presbytery. 
Then  six  or  seven  hundred  of  the  noble  defenders  of  our 
faith — among  them  the  Rev.  George  Walker,  who  so  gal- 
lantly led  at  Londonderry — were  slaughtered  by  the 
forces  of  James,  though  that  cruel  monarch  was  at  last 
utterly  routed  by  his  own  son-in-law,  William  III. 

Could  it  be  otherwise  than  that  the  descendants  of 
those  whose  fathers  had  fallen  at  Bothwell  Bridge,  had 
endured  the  horrors  of  famine  at  the  siege  of  Derry,  or 
been  slaughtered  at  the  Boyne,  or  been  plundered  by 
Thurot  at  the  sack  of  Carrickfergus,  or  been  hanged  by 
the  minions  of  James  would  cling,  as  for  their  very  souls, 
to  the  tenets  for  which  their  ancestors  had  suffered  scf 
much?  Concerning  the  children  of  these  suffering 
people  the  impressive  words  of  Dr.  John  Hall  are  worthy 
of  deep  consideration:  "These  Scotch-Irish  were  staunch 
to  the  truth  they  had  learned  from  their  parents  and  their 
ministers,  and  especially  from  their  Bible;  and  well  it 
was  burnt  into  them  by  the  persecution  they  had  exper- 
ienced ;  it  was  wrought  into  their  very  nature ;  their  minds 
were  stored  with  it."  The  children  and  grandchildren 
of  these  sufferers  were  the  leading  men  in  the  Presbytery 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  9 

when  first  formed.  From  them  came  the  Makemies  and 
the  Tennents  and  the  Finleys  and  the  Blairs  of  our  ear- 
liest history.  It  was  also  the  persecuted  and  their  de- 
scendants who  formed  the  great  immigration  into  Penn- 
sylvania after  the  sack  of  Carrickfergus  in  1760. 

A  similar  story  of  flight  from  bloody  persecution 
must  be  told  of  the  Dutch  or  German  element  so  promin- 
ent in  the  founding  of  our  Presbytery.  Whence  came 
our  German  fathers  to  this  country  and  to  this  part  of 
our  State?  The  ''Frankfort  Company"  which  settled 
Germantown  and  all  this  region,  was  organized  in  Frank- 
fort near  the  Rhine  in  the  year  1682,  only  twenty-three 
years  before  the  Presbytery  was  organized.  The  refugees 
whom  it  aided  in  reaching  a  safer  land  continued  to 
come  over  even  to  the  years  of  our  formation. 

What  brought  them  here?  We  must  go  over  to  the 
other  side  of  the  ocean  and  enter  the  Palatinate,  along  the 
beautiful  Rhine,  to  see.  That  Palatinate  was  horribly 
ravaged  by  the  French  in  a  crusade  against  the  gospel  in 
1688,  only  seventeen  years  before  the  Presbytery.  At 
that  time  the  sufferings  of  the  people  whose  children 
came  here,  were  fearful.  In  an  official  document  in  the 
British  archives  we  have  this  record:  "About  seven  thou- 
sand of  poor  Protestants  from  the  banks  of  the  Rhine, 
driven  from  their  habitations  by  the  French,  arrived  in 
England,  and  were  encamped  at  Blackheath  and  Camber- 
well;  a  brief  was  granted  to  collect  alms  for  them.  Five 
hundred  families  went  under  the  protection  of  the  Gov- 
ernment to  Ireland,  and  settled  chiefly  about  Limerick, 
where  Parliament  granted  them  twenty-four  thousand 
pounds  for  their  support.  Three  thousand  were  sent  to 
New  York  and  Hudson's  Bay,  but  not  having  been  receiv- 
ed kindly,  they  went  to  Pennsylvania,  and,  being  there 
greatly  encouraged  by  the  Quakers,  they  invited  over 
some  thousands  of  German  and  Swiss  Protestants  who 
soon  made  this  colony  flourishing."  It  should  be  re- 
membered that  this  is  from  an  official  document  of  the 


10  HISTORY    OF 

British  Government,  and  it  tells  beyond  mistake  of  the 
persecutions  which  sent  our  German  fathers  here.  These 
very  men  were  the  fathers  and  the  grandfathers  of  those 
who  formed  some  of  our  churches. 

But  the  whole  story  is  not  yet  told.  In  the  suffering 
days  of  those  German  Protestants  of  the  Palatinate  they 
were  aided  by  the  brethern  in  Holland,  who  had  them- 
selves passed  through  even  more  ferocious  persecutions  a 
century  before.  When  those  heoric  Hollanders  saw  their 
companions  burnt  at  the  stake  or  buried  alive  by  the 
bloodthirsty  Spaniard,  the  Duke  of  Alva,  multitudes  of 
them  fled  and  found  protection  in  the  Palatinate  under 
the  humane  shelter  of  ''the  houses  under  the  cross." 
Then,  when  in  turn  the  same  sort  of  persecution  was  flam- 
ing in  the  Palatinate,  the  Dutch  came  forward  to  aid  their 
friends  in  their  distress.  Among  other  things  they  sent 
their  ministers  to  preach  to  them  and  comfort  them  in 
their  flight.  These  ministers  or  missionaries  followed 
with  their  ministrations  of  kindness  even  to  foreign  lands. 
This  explains,  what  we  otherwise  could  not  understand, 
why  so  many  of  the  early  ministers  of  our  German  ances- 
tors were  sent  hither  by  the  Classis  of  Amsterdam. 

A  similar  history  of  suffering  for  the  cause  of  Christ 
is  connected  with  the  New  England  ingredient  which  en- 
tered into  the  original  formation  of  the  Presbytery.  It 
is  well  known  that  the  ancestors  of  these  devoted  men 
were  the  Puritans  who  had  fled  from  place  to  place  that 
they  might  find  some  spot  where  they  could  be  free  from 
wrong,  oppression  and  suffering  in  their  worship  of  God, 
and  found  it  only  when  they  reached  the  then  barbarous 
shores  of  this  New  World.  They  too  had  been  suffering- 
fugitives  from  the  persecution  of  the  Stuarts.  And  when 
at  length  they  settled  here  in  Pennsylvania  they  brought 
with  them  the  spirit  of  stern  endurance  for  the  cause  of 
Christ.  They  too  had  been  purified  in  the  fires.  They 
were  clinging  with  a  death-grasp  to  their  bloodbought 
faith. 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  11 

Still  was  it  the  same  old  story  of  escape  from  the 
wrongs,  the  fury  and  the  remorseless  persecutions  of  the 
enemies  of  Christ  and  his  gospel  that  brought  into  our 
territor}'^  the  faithful  calvanists  of  Wales.  The  glorious 
revival  of  that  land  under  Howell  Harris  and  his  friends, 
which  changed  the  whole  moral  aspect  of  Wales,  prevail- 
ed from  1736  onward  until  a  most  ardent  piety  filled  the 
country.  Very  soon  the  usual  result  followed,  and  those 
blessed  men  were  persecuted  without  shame,  without  re- 
morse, and  apparently  without  one  feeling  of  humanity. 
They  were  mobbed;  they  were  driven  into  dog-kennels; 
they  were  shut  up  in  dark,  loathsome  prisons;  they  were 
sent  in  chains  upon  vessels  of  war;  they  were  driven  for 
refuge  into  fearful  caves  of  the  earth ;  they  were  virtually 
sold  into  slavery;  they  were  built  up  in  the  walls  of 
houses ;  hellish  plots  were  matured  against  them ;  the  very 
ingenuity  of  Satan  was  exerted  to  contrive  afflictions  and 
tortures  for  them.  From  the  midst  of  the  rage  of  this  tem- 
pest of  the  powers  of  darkness  thousands  of  them  fled, 
not  in  fear,  but  in  faith,  and  at  last  found  safety  and  a 
home  among  the  Quakers  of  Montgomery  county. 

'  It  is  thus  sadly  yet  gloriously  true  that  all  the  lead- 
ing elements  originally  entering  into  the  formation  of  the 
Presbytery  were  either  themselves  fugitives  from  perse- 
cution or  the  descendants  of  fugitives.  This  seems  mys- 
terious, but  no  doubt  there  were  sublime  providential  pur- 
poses in  view.  There  is  not  a  question  but  that  it  was  one 
modern  fulfillment  of  the  great  prophecy  of  the  Revela- 
tion, wherein  the  woman,  the  established  emblem  of  the 
Church,  had  wings  given  to  her,  "that  she  might  fly  into 
the  wilderness,  into  her  place,  where  she  is  nourished  for 
a  time,  and  times,  and  half  a  time  from  the  face  of  the  ser- 
pent." Do  we  not  find  in  the  history  every  element  of 
this  a  pi-ophecy! — the  Church  as  the  woman — the  flight 
from  persecution  as  the  wings — this  then  uncultivated  re- 
gion as  the  wilderness — and  the  protection  and  friends 
found  here  as  the  earth  helping  the  woman.      We  do  not 


12  HISTORY    OF 

assert  nor  do  we  believe  tliat  this  is  tlie  sole  fulfillment  of 
the  revelation,  but  we  do  indicate  it  as  one  of  its  many  ful- 
fillments, as  it,  with  very  many  other  prophecies,  was  in- 
tended  to  point  out  a  series  of  future  events. 

All  these  persecutions  seem  to  us  dark  and  myster- 
ious but  while  we  would  not  attempt  to  scrutinize  God's 
higher  ulterior  purposes  in  them,  we  cannot  but  see  many 
immediate  blessed  results  springing  therefrom.  They 
scattered  these  godly  people  through  other  lands  bearing 
the  precious  gospel  with  them.  Would  they  have  come 
here  had  they  not  been  persecuted  at  home  1  Then  these 
suffering  fugitives  were  by  their  persecutions  hardened 
for  the  great  self-denying  work  which  lay  before  them. 
They  had  learned  the  value  of  that  gospel  for  which  they 
and  their  fathers  bled.  They  knew  the  value  of  the  truth 
for  which  they  had  suffered  so  much,  and  clung  to  it  with 
all  their  souls,  and  sent  it  down  uncorrupted  to  the  gen- 
erations that  have  come  after  them.  How  much  of  our 
pure  Presbyterianism  do  we  owe  to  them!  It  is  no  vain 
boast  that  ours  has  been  the  martyr  church.  It  was  ter- 
rible for  those  who  suffered,  but  it  is  glorious  for  us  that 
all  the  elements  from  which  we  sprung  were  planted  in 
the  blood  of  the  faithful. 

Such  were  the  elements  which  originally  composed 
the  Presbytery,  and  which,  all  commingling  in  one  stream, 
while  each  imparted  its  own  characteristics,  made  it  what 
it  is  in  its  Christian  life  and  worship  and  work.  From 
the  Scotch-Irish  has  come  that  orthodoxy  of  faith  which 
has  never  admitted  even  the  thought  of  error  in  the  word 
of  God;  from  the  German,  that  fixed  mamier  of  life  and 
worship  which  has  been  the  same  from  age  to  age;  from 
the  land  of  Edwards,  that  earnest  enterprise  and  progress 
which  have  multiplied  our  churches  to  a  degree  that  is 
scarce  surpassed ;  from  England,  that  adherence  to  estab- 
lished order  and  worship  which  saves  from  all  confusion 
and  error;  from  the  Welsh  Calvanists,  that  love  of  Scrip- 
ture and  scriptural  truth  which  preserves  our  foundations 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  13 

and  secures  an  intelligent  devotion ;  and  from  the  Quaker, 
that  quiet  but  real  readiness  to  work  for  Christ  in  which 
we  must  ever  rejoice.  These  elements  may  not  be  very 
easily  traced  to  their  origin,  for  they  have  been  so  long 
commingled  and  blended  into  one  that  their  distinction 
may  seem  to  be  lost.  Nevertheless,  they  still  exist,  and 
lend  to  each  other  a  harmony  and  power  for  which  we 
should  render  the  most  sincere  gratitude  to  the  Giver  of 
ail  good." 


CHAPTER  II. 
REV.  MALACHI  JONES.  1711  —  1729. 

Rev.  Malachi  Jones,  the  first  Pastor  of  Abingtou 
<3hurch,  first  appears  in  1711  at  the  age  of  63  years.  He 
must  have  been  a  man  of  great  energy  and  determination. 
He  gathered  around  him  seventy  men  and  women  who 
united  in  forming  a  church.  He  evidently  must  have  been 
an  educated  man,  for  the  Presbytery  would  not  allow  any 
man  to  preach  unless  he  was  well  educated,  as  well  as  hav- 
ing the  necessary  piety  and  other  qualifications. 

We  infer  that  the  Presbytery  thoroughly  investigat- 
ed Mr.  Jones  and  demonstrated  his  fitness  for  his  duties, 
because  it  was  three  years  between  the  time  of  his  calling 
the  seventy  people  together  before  the  church  became  a 
member  of  the  Presbytery  in  1714,  with  Mr.  Malachi  Jones 
as  Pastor,  and  the  following  elders : — 

Benjamin  Jones,  Abednego  Thomas, 

Stoffel  VanSant,  Joseph  Breden, 

and  was  the  third  Presbyterian  church  organized  in  Penn- 
sylvania. 

Thirty  marriages  were  solemnized  by  him  and  166 
persons  were  baptized.  Of  these  it  does  not  mention  how 
many  were  infants  and  how  many  on  profession  of  their 
faith. 

The  first  evidence  we  have  of  a  house  of  worship  is  in 
1719  when  Mr.  Malachi  Jones  transfers  to  Trustees  one- 
half  acre  of  ground  for  Five  Pounds,  or  Twenty-five  Dol- 
lars, on  which  to  erect  a  house  of  worship  and  be  a  suit- 
able burying  ground.  This  building  was  of  logs,  and  re- 
mained until  1793  when  a  more  substantial  building  was 
erected. 

(14) 


The  above  is  as  near  a  representation  of  the  original  church  building 
as  can  be  found.  The  structure  was  of  logs,  built  in  1719,  and  situated  at 
about  the  center  of  the  present  cemetery. 


HISTORY  OF  ABINGTON  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH   15 

The  records  in  the  Eeeorder  of  Deeds  Office  in  Phila- 
delphia show  that  Mr.  Jones  owned  a  farm  of  114  acres 
which  was  located  on  what  is  now  known  as  Old  York 
road  and  extended  from  where  the  present  church  build- 
ing is,  southward. 

On  the  21st  of  March,  1738  this  farm  was  placed  in 
charge  of  Trustees  for  the  benefit  of  the  church.  See 
Eook  1.  Vol.  II.  page  401,  etc. 

Mr.  Jones  died  March  26th,  1729,  and  was  buried  in 
Abington  church  cemetery.  A  slab  marks  his  resting- 
place  and  contains  the  following: — 

"Here  lies  The  Body  of  The  Rev'd  Mr.  Malachi  Jones 
Who  Departed  this  Life  March  Ye  26.  In  the  Year  1729 

Aetatus  Suo  78 
He  was  the  First  Minister  in  this  place. ' ' 

Mr.  Jones'  family  seemed  to  consist  of  himself,  wife 
and  six  children. 

The  Jones  family,  all  original  members  of  Abington 
church  1711,  were  as  follows: — 

Ann  Jones,  Benjamin  Jones,  (Elder) 

Catharine  Jones,  Joshua  Jones, 

Malachi  Jones,  Jr.,  (Elder)       Martha  Jones, 
Mary  Jones,  wife  of  Malachi. 

GRANDCHILDREN  OF  MALACHI  JONES 

(Children  of  Benjamin  Jones) 
Malachi,  Baptized  March  19th,  1719. 
Elizabeth,        "       April  22nd,  1721. 
Benjamin,       "       July  20th,  1725. 
Mary,  ''       August  1st,  1727. 

Joshua,  "       April  23rd,  1732. 

Henry,  ' '       October  27th,  1734. 

Katharine,       "       March  27th,  1737. 
John,  "       August  2nd,  1739. 

Ann,  ''       August  8th,  174L 


i6  HISTORY    OF 

(Children  of  Malaclii  Jones,  Jr.) 
Horatio,  Baptized  May  1730. 

Esther,  "       May  4th,  1732. 

Martha,  ''       April  1734. 

Malachi,         "       December  25th,  1735. 
Euth,  "       March  26th,  1738. 

Stephen,         "       June  8th,  1740. 

(Children  of  Joshua  Jones) 
Mary,     Baptized  October  14th,  1736. 
Ebenezer,        "       February  3rd,  1740. 
Hannah  Jones,  wife  of  Joshua  Jones  Baptized  Decem- 
ber 16th,  1736. 

MARRIAGES. 

Joshua  Jones  to  Hannah  Givin;  August  6,  1735. 
Martha  Jones  to  Simon  Thomas;  July  3,  1756. 
Mary  Jones  to  James  Middleton;  June  20,  1761. 
Jacob  Jones  to  Sarah  Tomkins;  May  3,  1763. 
Peter  Jones  to  Sarah  Anderson;  February  3,  1793. 
John  Jones  to  Polly  Ramsay;  February  8, 1796. 


WILL  OF  MALACHI  JONES. 

In  the  name  of  God,  Amen,  The  Twenty-eighth  day  of 
September  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1727.  I,  Malachi 
Jones,  of  Township  of  Abington  in  ye  County  of  Philadel- 
phia in  the  Province  of  Pennsylvania,  being  in  perfect 
memory  and  understanding.  Do  hereby  make  and  ordain 
this  my  last  Will  and  Testament.  Principally  and  first 
of  all  I  give  and  recommend  my  Soul  unto  the  hands  of 
Almighty  God  that  gave  it  And  my  Body  I  recommend  it 
to  ye  earth  to  be  buried  in  a  Christian  like  and  decent 
manor  at  ye  discretion  of  my  executrix  to  be  hereafter 
named.  Nothing  doubting  but  att  ye  general  Resurrection 
I  shall  receive  ye  same  Body  again  (uncorruptible  and  im- 
mortal) By  ye  mighty  power  of  God.     And  touching  such 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  17 

Worldly  estate  wherewith  it  hath  pleased  God  to  Bless 
me  within  this  life  I  give  bequeath  and  dispose  of  in  the 
following  manner.      Imprimis  the  Estate  or  plantation 
where  now  I  live  (which  I  purchased  of  Sarah  Cart  and 
the  other  trustees  of  Sam  Cart  deceased  and  all  ye  Land 
and  ye  privileges  thereunto  belong  or  any  way  appurtain- 
ing  (viz: — )     I  give  and  bequeath  unto  my  son  Malachi 
upon  ye  conditions  hereafter  mentioned  and  his  Heirs 
and  Assigns  forever  that  Trait  or  parcell  of  Land  being  a 
part  of  ye  aforesd  Plantation  beginning  att  a  Corner  of 
Jon.  Eoberts  and  Isaac  Knight  thence  South  East  by  ye 
land  of  my  son  Joshua  Jones  to  a  marked  black  Oak 
thence  S — west  and  50  degTees  Westerly  thence  S"  and  6 
degrees  East  by  ye  sd  Land  to  a  poplar  tree  thence  by 
ye  same  Land  S"  33  degrees  South  East  to  a  black  Wal- 
nut Corner  tree  in  ye  sd  Land  and  ye  Land  of  my  Son 
Malachi  Jones  aforesd  thence  along  ye  fence  dividing  ye 
sd  from  my  meadows  down  to  Taconick  Creek  thence 
along  ye  severall  Courses  of  the  sd  Creek  to  ye  line  of 
Isaac  Knight  thence  by  ye  sd  Land  to  ye  first  mentioned 
place  of  beginning  by  Computation  One  Hundred  Acres 
of  land  be  it  more  or  less  together  with  all  ye  Buildings 
Houses  and  Edifices  erected  upon  ye  sd  devised  premises 
and  improvements  thereunto  belonging.      Provided  that 
my  Son  Malachi  shall  pay  Forty  Pounds  to  my  son  Ben- 
jamin and  sixty  Pounds  unto  my  Daughter  Martha  and  it 
is  my  will  that  Mary  my  Dear  Wife  his  Mother  during  her 
natural  life  shall  have  free  use  and  possession  of  any  two 
rooms  in  ye  sd  house  that  she  will  choose  and  ye  title  clear 
and  ye  sd  Malachi  shall  provide  her  fire  wood  cutt  and 
brought  to  ye  door.      And  also  she  is  to  have  3  Hogshead 
of  Cider  yearly  if  ye  orchard  hits  or  produces  fruit  enough 
to  make  so  much  and  finally  she  may  keep  one  Cow  and 
one  horse,  but  if  in  case  she  will  remove  to  any  other  place 
to  live  he  shall  pay  her  six  pounds  yearly.      Item  I  give 
and  bequeath  to  my  youngest  son  Joshua  his  Heirs  and 
Assigns  forever  upon  ye  conditions  following  a  Piece  or 


18  HISTORY    OF 

parcell  of  land  being  also  a  part  of  ye  first  mentioned 
Trait  beginning  in  ye  Line  of  Stephin  Jenkins  and  on  ye 
York  road  thence  N"  West  by  the  Land  of  ye  sd  Joshua 
Jones  to  Jon.  Roberts  Line  thence  along  by  ye  sd  Line  N" 
East  to  corner  white  Oak  in  George  Godchils  line  then  S" 
East  by  ye  said  line  to  a  corner  by  ye  land  of  ye  sd  Steph- 
en Jenkins  thence  S ' '  West  by  ye  same  to  ye  sd  Yk  Road 
the  place  of  beginning  containing  forty  Acres  of  land  be 
it  more  or  less  together  with  all  ye  buildings  and  im- 
provements belonging  or  appurtaining  to  ye  same  But 
provided  that  whatsoever  mine  or  mineralls  may  or  can 
be  found  upon  any  part  of  ye  sd  Land  it  shall  be  divided 
into  four  equal  parts  or  shares  thus  a  fourth  to  my  son 
Benjamin,  a  fourth  part  to  my  son  Malachi  a  fourth  part 
to  my  son  Joshua  and  their  heirs  and  assigns  each  and  a 
fourth  part  to  be  divided  between  my  four  Daughters 
equally  with  full  power  to  all  of  them  joyntly  or  any  two 
or  any  one  of  them  separately  to  dig  raise  and  make  use 
of  same  att  any  time  whatsoever  and  none  to  have  any 
part  or  share  of  ye  profxtt  from  ye  sd  Mine  without  bear- 
ing and  paying  their  proportionable  or  equall  part  of  ye 
Charge  also  it  is  my  will  that  my  son  Joshua  shall  pay  to 
Mary  my  Wife  his  mother  ye  sum  of  Two  pounds  yearly 
during  her  life  and  ye  free  use  possession  and  proiitt  of 
the  House  and  plantation  that  now  is  in  ye  occupation  of 
Evan  Morgans  I  do  hereby  Constitute  Will  and  ordain 
Mary  my  beloved  Wife  to  be  my  only  and  sole  Executrix 
of  this  my  Last  Will  and  Testament  and  do  give  and  be- 
queath to  her  all  my  personal  effects  all  household  goods 
cattle  and  chattels  whatsoever  with  all  I  am  owner  of  or 
have  a  rights  in  what  Lands  soever  they  be  upon  ye  con- 
ditions following  (viz)  that  she  shall  pay  or  cause  to  be 
paid  my  funerall  charges  and  other  debts  that  I  Lawfully 
owe  to  any  person  whatsoever  and  ye  legacies  hereafter 
bequeathed.  Item,  I  give  and  bequeath  all  the  Instruments 
of  Husbandry  as  Ploughs  Harows  Carts  Gears  and  other 
implements  and  tools  belonging  to  plantation  and  Carpen- 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  19 

ters  work  whatsoever  equally  between  my  son  Malaclii 
and  my  son  Joshua  and  to  each  of  them  a  Horse.  Item  I 
bequeath  to  my  Daughter  Ann  Five  Pounds  to  be  paid  by 
sd  Execut.  I  give  and  bequeath  to  my  Daughter  Martha 
One  quarter  part  of  my  Household  goods  also  I  give  and 
bequeath  to  every  one  of  my  grand  children  one  Ew  and 
Lamb  apiece  and  lastly  I  appoint  all  my  books  to  be  divid- 
ed between  all  my  children  as  they  are  Capable  to  use 
them  Hereby  I  resolve  this  to  be  my  last  Will  and  Testa- 
ment and  by  virtue  Hereof  confirm.  Revoking  and  annul- 
ling all  others  and  former  Wills  and  Testaments  and  ev- 
ery Clause  and  Article  contained  therein — In  Witness 
whereof  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and  seal  ye  day  and 
year  first  above  written  memorad.  that  it  is  my  will  and  I 
appoint  that  my  son  Malachi  shall  be  att  ye  charge  to 
Clear  fitt  for  mowing  4  acres  of  meadow  ground  for  his 
brother  my  son  Joshua.  Note  that  ye  words  between 
Eleventh  and  Twelfth  line  (viz.)  but  if  in  case  she  will  re- 
move to  any  other  place  to  live  he  shall  pay  her  six 
pounds  yearly,  was  interlined  before  these  presents  were 
sealed  or  ratified. 

Malachi  Jones,  (Seal) 
Published  signed  and 
sealed  in  the  presence  of 

John  Parry, 

Thomas  David, 

Jonathan  Knight, 
Ex'x  Sworn  May  22,  1729. 

Whereas  my  last  Will  and  Testament  bearing  date 
of  ye  8th  day  of  September  1727  was  made  and  declared 
in  ye  time  of  my  perfect  Health  And  now  being  sick  and 
weak  in  Body  But  in  perfect  and  sound  mind  and  memiory 
1  do  annex  this  Schedule  whereby  I  will  and  enjoin  that 
my  son  Malachi  shall  help  and  assist  my  son  Joshua  to 
Build  him  a  Home  House  upon  ye  sd  Joshua's  Land  on 
what  place  he  ye  sd  Jos  s.  may  please  in  Length  25  foot  in 


20      HISTORY  OF  ABINGTON  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 

Breadth  15  and  in  Height  14  foot  with  a  CeUar  under  one 
half  of  it  and  also  considering  my  Executrix  above  named 
to  he  Aged  I  Will  and  appoint  mj^  Son  Benjamin  to  be 
Trustee  and  Assistant  to  her  my  sd  Execut.  in  ye  adminis- 
tration of  my  Estate  And  in  case  she  my  Execut.  will  de- 
cline to  Administer  or  die  before  administ.  He  ye  sd  Benj. 
shall  act  as  an  Executor  in  her  Room  and  Stead  and  for 
her  use  and  no  other  use  of  interest  whatsoever.  In  wit- 
ness Hereof  I  have  set  my  hand  and  seal  the  twenty-fifth 
d;iy  of  March  Anno.  Domi.  1729. 

Malachi  Jones,  (Seal) 
Signed  and  sealed  in  ye  presence  of  Jonathan  Knight, 

mark  of  Johnson  Postans. 


CHxVPTER  III. 
REV.  RICHARD  TREAT.  1731-1778. 

The  following  appears  in  the  records  of  the  church  in 
Mr.  Treat's  own  handwriting: — 

'^  December  30th,  A.  D.  1731: 

I,  Richard  Treat,  was  ordained  (Second)  Minister  of 
ye  Presbyterian  Society,  Church  and  Congregation  in  and 
about  Abington,  Pennsylvania,  by  the  Rev  'd  Mr.  Jedediah 
Andrews,  The  Rev.  Mr.  Wm.  Tennent  and  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Evans,  President  in  ye  affairs.  The  Church  being  gath- 
ered. The  names  of  ye  Communicants  registered  in  Ye 
Book  as  may  be  seen" 

The  Church  had  been  without  a  Pastor  for  over  two 
years. 

Dr.  Murphy  in  his  work  ' '  The  Cradle  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church"  says  of  Mr.  Treat: — "He  was  a  young 
man  of  onlj^  twenty-four  when  he  commenced  his  minis- 
try, and  was  ordained  as  well  as  installed  in  Abington. 
He  was  born  in  Connecticut;  he  was  a  relative  of  Gover- 
nor Treat,  and  was  graduated  at  Yale  College. 

The  installation  sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  David 
Evans.  This  sermon  was  afterwards  printed  in  a  book 
by  Benjamin  Franklin.      The  title  page  is  as  follows: — 

(21) 


22  HISTORY    OF 

The  : 

Ministry  of  Christ 

on  the 
Duties  of  His  Flock 
As  it  was  Delivered  in  a 
Sermon 
At  Abington,  Pennsylvania 
December  30, 1731 
At  the  Ordination  of 
Mr.  Richard  Treat 
To  the  Gospel  Ministry  there. 
With  an  Appendix  of  the  Questions 
then  publicly  proposed,  and  the 
Charges  Given 
Published  at  the  Request  of  some  of  the  Auditors. 
By  David  Evans,  Minister  at  Tredyffrin. 
1  Tim.  IV.  8.      If  thou  put  the  Bretheren  in  remem- 
brance of  these  things,  thou  shall  be  a  good  Minister  of 
Jesus  Christ,  etc. 

1  Cor.  IV.  I.  Let  a  Man  so  account  of  us,  as  of  the 
Minister  of  Christ,  etc. 

Philadelphia. 
Printed  by  B.  Franklin,  1732 

A  copy  of  this  book  is  now  in  the  rooms  of  the  Histor- 
ical Society  of  Pennsylvania  at  13th  and  Locust  streets, 
Philadelphia.  Anyone  desiring  to  see  it  will  be  court- 
eously treated.  The  size  of  the  booklet  is  five  by  three 
inches,  and  its  binding  according  to  ancient  custom,  sub- 
stantial. The  various  assortment  of  type  on  the  title 
page  shows  twelve  different  kinds.  Its  total  number  of 
pages  is  108,  of  which  the  sermon  occupies  94. 

It  shows  the  style  of  preaching  of  that  time,  beings 
made  up  chiefly  of  quotations  from  Scripture  with  re- 
marks on  each  quotation,  and  the  application  either  to 
Pastor  or  people. 

This  same  David  Evans  was  a  Welshman  and  a  re- 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  23 

markable  character.  At  first  lie  was  what  would  be  call- 
ed a  Lay  Preacher,  but  he  was  so  zealous  and  well  inform- 
ed in  regard  to  the  Bible,  that  he  was  called  to  be  a  Min- 
ister to  one  of  the  churches.  The  Presbytery,  however, 
would  not  ordain  and  install  him,  because  they  said  he 
was  not  well  enough  educated  to  have  charge  of  a  church. 
But  the  congregation  was  so  insistent  on  having  him  that 
it  was  arranged  he  should  undergo  a  course  of  training  by 
some  neighboring  minister.  In  course  of  time  he  passed 
a  satisfactory  examination,  was  duly  ordained  and  in- 
stalled. It  is  quite  possible  that  the  Installation  of  Mr. 
Treat  was  the  first  public  discourse  of  Mr.  Evans  after 
having  the  title  of  Reverend  conferred  upon  him.  The 
experience  of  Mr.  Evans  demonstrated  the  scarcity  of  ed- 
ucated men  for  the  Ministry.  Every  effort  was  made  to 
induce  students  from  the  colleges  in  Great  Britain  to  come 
to  the  Colonies,  but  the  supply  from  this  source  was  so 
limited  that  it  gave  rise  to  the  establishing  of  the  Log 
College  in  1727  by  Rev.  William  Tennent,  who  educated 
his  own  four  sons  and  others  for  the  Ministry.  It  was 
this  effort  to  supply  an  educated  Ministry  that  led  to  a 
very  unhappy  condition  of  affairs.  And  the  storm  cen- 
tre seems  to  have  been  around  Abington  church.  Mr. 
Treat  took  sides  with  the  progressive  element,  and  the 
crisis  came  in  1741,  the  new  Presbytery  of  Abington  was 
formed. 

The  Rev.  Leighton  W.  Eckard  in  the  Historical  Dis- 
course, August  30, 1876,  gives  the  following  very  interest- 
ing account : — 

"For  tYvo  years  after  Mr.  Jones'  decease,  no  bishop 
was  installed  over  Abington  Parish.  Rev.  Jedediah  An- 
drews occasionally  officiated,  but  not  until  1731  was  Mr. 
Richard  Treat  formally  called.  On  December  30  of  that 
year  he  was  installed.  His  career  was  far  more  eventful 
than  that  of  his  predecessor.  Those  were  stirring  times 
in  the  spiritual  world  and  we  may  profitably  pause  to 
glance  at  the  reasons  which  chiefly  made  them  so. 


24  HISTORY    OF 

A  few  years  before,  a  young  man  was  graduated 
from  Oxford  University,  England.  Physically,  mentally, 
morally,  lie  was  a  marked  man.  Taking  deacon's  orders 
in  the  established  church,  he  began  to  preach.  Multi- 
tudes everywhere  flocked  to  hear  him.  He  collected  the 
colliers  and  told  them  "the  old,  old  story"  until  the  tears 
fairly  ran  down  their  grimy  faces.  He  went  to  gay  Chel- 
sea, intoxicated  as  it  was  with  mirth  and  revelry,  and  the 
song  and  dance  stopped  as  he,  like  a  second  John,  cried  to 
the  votaries  of  pleasure,  "Repent,  for  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven  is  at  hand. ' '  Even  the  drawing  rooms  of  the  Me- 
tropolis were  placed  at  his  disposal,  and  high  born  gentle- 
men crowded  there  and  hung  upon  his  half  inspired  utter- 
ances. The  cultured  Chesterfield,  whom  Dr.  Johnson  so 
well  described  as "  a  wit  amongst  lords  and  a  lord 
amongst  wits"  was  unstinted  in  his  praise  of  this  wonder- 
ful preacher,  and  before  him,  Lord  Bolingbroke  learned 
to  bow  his  head,  though  not  his  heart. 

Are  you  impatient  to  know  the  connection  between 
these  facts  and  the  history  of  our  church?  It  is  simply 
this.  The  gifted,  holy  man  to  whom  allusion  has  been 
made,  came  to  this  country.  Most  of  our  Sundaj"  school 
scholars  should  be  able  to  tell  the  story  from  this  point, 
for  who  has  not  heard  of  the  wondrous  work  of  George 
Whitefield?  Who  does  not  know  that  when  he  came  hith- 
er the  Spirit  of  the  living  God  accompanied  him,  and  that 
the  same  influences  that  had  acted  so  potentially  in  the 
old  world,  excited  undiminished  energy  in  the  new.  A 
revival  of  religion  never  before  equalled  and  never  since 
surpassed,  prevailed  in  the  land.  Mr.  Treat  invited  White- 
field  to  visit  Abington.  He  came,  and  time  and  again, 
standing  just  across  from  where  we  now  sit,  he  broke  the 
bread  of  life  to  the  gathered  multitudes. 

Possibly  some  here  present  may  remember  to  have 
heard  from  Dr.  Steel  himself  an  incident  which  I  find  in 
some  of  his  papers.  He  narrates  that  in  his  youthful  days 
he  sometimes  met  an  old  Revolutionary  soldier,  Martin 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  25 

by  name,  who  was  a  confidential  messenger  of  General 
Washington,  and  also,  what  was  far  better,  a  follower  of 
Jesus.  Mr.  Martin  told  him  that  it  had  been  his  wont  to 
walk  from  South wark  (Philadelphia)  to  Abington  each 
Sabbath  that  Whitefield  was  announced  to  preach  here. 
Long  before  the  hour  of  service  the  church  would  be 
crowded,  then  the  people  would  flock  into  the  adjoining 
fields,  and  when  the  Ambassador  of  the  Cross  came,  it 
would  sometimes  be  necessary  for  him  to  stand  on  the  out- 
side steps,  so  that  all  this  vast  multitude  might  hear  the 
message  he  brought. 

The  discourses  of  Whitefield  excited  a  peculiar  effect 
on  Mr.  Treat's  mind.  He  was  fearful  that  his  heart  had 
never  been  renewed,  and  desired  to  desist  altogether  from 
his  pastoral  labors.  He  stated  the  case  to  the  Congrega- 
tion and  asked  their  prayers.  Whitefield  took  the  ten- 
derest  interest  in  this  matter  and  finally  was  enabled  to 
lead  his  friend  into  the  light  again.  This  occurred  in  the 
Spring  of  1740. 

In  addition  to  the  presence  of  Whitefield,  Abington 
was  favored  by  several  visits  from  David  Brainerd,  the 
apostle  to  the  Indians.  I  am  more  inclined  to  dwell  upon 
this  because,  in  days  gone  by,  I  grew  so  familiar  with  the 
region  known  as  "the  Forks  of  the  Delaware,"  a  place 
where  Brainerd  chiefly  labored  and  where  his  name  con- 
tinues to  be  so  lovingly  cherished  and  honored.  Near  to 
the  town  of  Easton  still  stands  one  of  the  eight-cornered 
stone  buildings  where  he  was  accustomed  to  gather  the 
red  men  of  the  forest  for  instruction,  and  across  the  river, 
in  the  lovely  valley  of  the  Musconetcong,  almost  under 
the  shadow  of  the  high  hills  that  hem  in  and  sentinel  the 
hallowed  spot,  may  yet  be  found  two  more  of  these  struc- 
tures. Early  connections  with  these  places  developed  a 
reverence  of  Brainerd,  and  the  region  hereabouts  became 
home-like,  when  I  remembered  that  it,  too,  was  one  of  the 
spheres  of  this  good  man's  zealous  and  successful  labors 
for  the  Master. 


26  HISTORY    OF 

In  1745  there  was  much  religious  feeling  in  Abington. 
Brainerd  in  his  journal  narrates  that  he  had  to  go  to 
Philadelphia,  that  he  might  there  see  the  Governor  in  ref- 
erence to  some  Indian  affairs.  On  his  way  to  and  from 
the  city  he  lodged  with  Rev.  Mr.  Beatty,  then  a  young 
Presbyterian  minister.  The  two  rode  together  to  Abing- 
ton, April  20,  to  participate  in  the  communion. 

Mr.  Treat  was  preaching  when  they  reached  the 
church.  This  was  on  Saturday  and  must  have  been  the 
preparatory  service.  On  Sabbath,  the  Sacrament  of  the 
Lord's  Sui^per  was  administered.  The  pastor  preached 
to  the  people  gathered  in  the  church.  A  vast  multitude 
collected  outside;  they  were  addressed  in  the  morning  by 
Mr.  Beatty,  and  in  the  afternoon  by  Brainerd.  It  was  a 
season  of  profit  and  refreshment  to  many  souls." 

The  records  of  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  show  that 
the  Schism  was  referred  to  in  nearly  every  meeting  from 
1741  to  1758  as  being  a  very  unhapp}^  state  of  affairs  and 
earnestly  desiring  to  heal  the  breach. 

During  these  17  years  Mr.  Treat  was  an  official  of  Ab- 
ington Presbytery  and  Synod  of  New  York,  most  of  the 
time  either  as  Moderator,  Treasurer  or  Secretary. 

The  records  of  the  church  show  the  baptism  of  Mr. 
Treat's  children  as  follows: 
Joseph  Treat,  Baptised  April  21,  1734 
Malachi      "  ''         March  28,  1736 

Samuel      "  "         March  5, 1738 

Elizabeth*'  "         September  29,  1740 

Mary  "  "         November  4,  1742 


In  1758  there  was  great  distress  in  the  Colonies  on  ac- 
count of  the  French  and  Indian  War. 

Mr.  Treat  was  Moderator  of  the  United  Synod  in  1759 
when  the  great  Schism  was  healed. 

During  the  years  of  separation  ' '  The  College  of  New 
Jersey"  familiarly  known  as  Princeton  was  established. 
The    country    was  growing  so  fast  that  there  was  not 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  27 

enough  ministers  coming  from  Europe  to  supply  it,  so 
Princeton  was  started.  This  was  an  outgrowth  of  ' '  The 
Log  College. ' ' 

The  Presbyterian  Fund  for  Ministers,  Widows  and 
Orphans,  was  commenced  May  30, 1755.  This  was  the 
first  Life  Insurance  Company  in  the  country. 

March  7,  1728;  April  27,  1728:  The  Session  met  on 
these  dates  and  disciplined  some  of  their  unruly  members. 

One  party  appealed  and  carried  it  to  Synod.  They 
were  charged  with  being  rebellious,  unruly,  and  not  at- 
tending church.  When  the  case  came  before  Synod,  they 
confessed  their  sin,  acknowledged  repentance  and  were 
forgiven. 

The  period  of  the  Revolution  is  unmarked  by  any 
special  incident  in  connection  with  our  Church,  except  the 
mention  on  two  occasionn  of  Synod  failing  to  meet  in 
Philadelphia  on  account  of  the  presence  of  the  enemy. 
And  also,  immediately  after  the  war,  the  long  neglect  of 
contributions,  and  making  an  earnest  appeal  for  the 
churches  to  urge  their  members  to  this  important  duty. 

From  Julj^  27,  1777,  to  August  27,  1778,  no  baptisms 
are  recorded. 

From  1778  to  1785  no  marriages  are  recorded. 

Mr.  Treat  died  November  29,  1778,  and  is  buried  in 
Abingten  cemetery.      The  following  is  on  his  tombstone: 

In  memory  of 
The  Rev.  Richard  Treat,  D.  D. 
Born  September  28th,  1708 
Ordained  the  second  minister  of  this  Church 
The  30th  day  of  December,  1731 
Departed  this  Life  November  29,  1778, 
Aged  71  years. 
Beneath  this  marble,  sleeps  the  Dust 
Of  Treat  the  Great,  the  Good,  the  Just 
A  Pastor,  Patriot,  Friend  Sincere, 
An  Husband  kind,  a  parent  dear, 
His  council  wise — his  doctrine  plain 
To  live  was  Christ — to  die  was  gain. 


28      HISTORY  OF  ABINGTON  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 

During  Mr.  Treat's  ministry  there  were  596  bap- 
tisms, 251  marriages,  and  45  communicants  admitted.  It 
was  during  his  time  that  the  parsonage  on  the  farm  was 
built.  After  Mr.  Treat's  death,  the  church  was  witliout 
a  pastor  for  three  years. 

It  can  be  easily  seen  from  the  above  records  that  Mr. 
Treat's  pastorate  spans  a  period  of  eventful  history  in 
America.  The  French  and  Indian  War,  the  Schism,  and 
the  war  of  the  Revolution,  all  are  embraced  within  the 
time  of  his  ministry  in  Abington,  From  the  fact  that 
only  45  communicants  were  added  to  the  membership 
during  47  years  indicates  that  affairs  must  have  been  in 
such  a  cliaotic  state  that  the  church's  growth  was  greatly 
retarded. 

If  it  were  possible  to  secure  the  incidents  of  history 
in  connection  with  the  war  of  the  Revolution  it  would 
doubtless  be  found  that  Abington  church  had  a  large 
share  in  that  memorable  strife.  We  don't  know  how  true 
it  is  nor  where  the  records  can  be  found,  but  it  is  reported 
that  the  British  soldiers  then  camped  in  Philadelphia, 
made  frequent  raids  out  into  the  country.  On  one  occa- 
sion they  came  marching  up  York  road  towards  Abing- 
ton, but  American  soldiers,  entrenched  behind  the  wall  of 
the  church  cemetery,  repulsed  and  drove  them  back. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
REV.  WILLIAM  M.  TENNENT.  1781-1810. 

In  1781  Rev.  William  Mackay  Tennent  was  chosen 
Pastor  and  installed  over  the  Congregation.  Dr.  Ten- 
nent was  the  son  of  Rev.  Charles  Tennent  and  the  grand- 
son of  William  Tennent  who  founded  the  Log  College. 

Before  coming  to  Abington,  Dr.  Tennent  had  been 
settled  at  Greenfield,  Conn.  He  was  succeeded  there  by 
Dr.  Dwight,  afterwards  President  of  Yale  College.  The 
time  of  his  coming  was  one  of  general  distress  and  pov- 
erty. The  church  must  have  suffered  in  the  depletion  of 
members  and  revenue.  The  records  show  that  they  were 
not  placed  in  Mr.  Tennent 's  hands  until  September,  1783. 
But  the  affairs  of  the  whole  country  were  in  such  a  disor- 
ganized condition  that  it  is  no  wonder  the  church  suffer- 
ed. The  recuperation  after  the  close  of  the  Revolution 
was  wonderful.  More  thorough  organization  and  officer- 
ing was  felt  in  every  department  of  life,  and  led  up  to  the 
adoption  of  our  Constitution  in  1787  for  a  "More  Thor- 
ough Union." 

The  church,  not  to  be  behind  the  times,  procured  from 
the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  a  Charter.  This  Charter  marks 
a  very  important  epoch  in  our  church  life,  and  is  here  sub- 
mitted for  the  information  of  all  who  are  interested. 


CHARTER. 

Office  of  the  Secretaiy  of  the  Commonwealth. 
Pennsylvania. 
AN  ACT  to  incorporate  the  Presbyterian  congrega- 
tion in  Abington  township  in  the  County  of  Montgomery. 
Section  1.     W^HEREAS  the  Ministers    Elders    and 

(29) 


30  HISTORY    OF 

Members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  the  township  of 
Abington  in  the  County  of  Montgomery  have  prayed  that 
the  said  church  may  be  incorporated  and  by  law  enabled 
as  a  Body  politic  and  corj^orate  to  receive  and  hold  such 
charitable  donations  and  bequests  as  have  been  or  may 
from  time  to  time  be  made  to  their  society  and  vested 
with  such  powers  and  privileges  as  are  enjoyed  by  the  re- 
ligious societies  who  are  incorj^orated  in  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania 

AND  WHEREAS  it  is  just  and  right  and  also  agree- 
able to  the  true  Spirit  of  the  Constitution  that  the  prayer 
of  their  said  petition  be  granted 

Secion  2.  BE  IT  therefore  enacted  and  it  is  hereby 
enacted  by  the  Representatives  of  the  Freemen  of  the 
Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania  in  General  Assembly  met 
and  by  the  Authority  of  the  same  That  William  M.  Ten- 
nent  Samuel  McNear  William  Wilson  Joseph  McClean 
Garrit  Wynkoop  John  Mann  Samuel  Leech  Samuel  Er- 
win  and  John  Collom  and  their  Successors  duly  elected 
and  appointed  in  such  manner  and  form  as  hereinafter  di- 
rected be  and  they  are  hereby  made  and  constituted  a  cor- 
poration and  body  politic  in  Law  and  in  fact  to  have  con- 
tinuance forever  by  the  name  stile  and  title  of  the  Trus- 
tees of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  township  of  Abing- 
ton in  the  County  of  Montgomery 

Section  3rd.  AND  be  it  further  enacted  by  the 
authority  aforesaid  that  the  said  Corporation  and  their 
Successors  by  the  name  stile  and  title  aforesaid  shall  for- 
ever hereafter  be  persons  able  and  capable  in  Law  as  well 
to  take  receive  and  hold  all  and  all  maner  of  Lands  Tene- 
ments Rents  Annuities,  Franchises  and  other  Heredita- 
ments which  at  any  time  or  times  heretofore  have  been 
granted  Bargained  sold  enfeoffed  released  devised  or 
otherwise  convened  to  the  said  Presbyterian  Church  in 
the  township  of  Abington  and  county  aforesaid  or  to  the 
Religious  Congregation  worshipping  therein  now  under 
the  pastoral  charge  and  care  of  the  Reverent  William 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  31 

Mackey  Tennent  or  to  any  other  person  or  persons  to 
their  use  or  in  Trust  for  them  and  the  same  Lands  Tene- 
ments Rents  Annuities  Liberties  Franchises  and  other 
Hereditaments  are  hereby  vested  and  established  in  the 
said  Corporation  and  their  Successors  forever  according 
to  their  original  use  and  intention  and  the  said  Corpora- 
tion and  their  Successors  are  hereby  declared  to  be  seized 
and  possessed  of  such  Estate  and  Estates  therein  as  in 
and  by  the  respective  grants  bargains  sales  enfeoffments 
releases  devices  or  other  conveyances  thereof  is  or  are  de- 
clared limited  or  expressed  as  also  that  the  said  Corpora- 
tion and  their  Successors  aforesaid  at  all  times  hereafter 
shall  be  capable  and  able  to  purchase  have  receive  take 
hold  and  enjoy  in  Fee  simple  or  of  any  less  Estate  or  Es- 
tates and  Lands  Tenements  Eents  Annuities  Liberties 
Franchises  and  other  Hereditaments  by  the  gift  grant 
bargain  sale  alienation  enfeoltment  release  confermation 
or  device  of  any  person  or  persons  bodies  politic  and  cor- 
porate capable  and  able  to  make  the  same  And  further 
that  the  said  Corporation  may  take  and  receive  any  sum 
or  sums  of  money  and  any  manner  or  portion  of  goods  and 
chatties  that  have  or  shall  be  given  or  bequeathed  to  them 
by  any  person  or  persons  bodies  politic  and  corporate  cap- 
able to  make  bequest  or  gift  thereof  such  money  goods 
and  chatties  to  be  laid  out  by  them  in  a  purchase  or  Pur- 
chases of  Lands  tenements  Messuages  Houses  Rents  An- 
nuities or  Hereditaments  to  them  and  their  Successors 
forever  or  the  money  lent  on  interest  or  otherwise  dispos- 
ed of  according  to  the  true  intention  of  the  donors. 

Section  4th.  AND  be  it  further  enacted  by  the 
authority  aforesaid  that  the  Rents  Issues  Profits  &  inter- 
ests of  the  said  Real  and  personal  Estate  of  the  said 
church  and  corporation  shall  by  the  said  Trustees  and 
their  Successors  from  time  to  time  be  applied  for  the 
maintenance  and  support  of  the  pastor  of  the  said  church 
for  and  towards  the  relief  of  the  poor  in  Communion  of 
the  said  Church  and  in  repairing  the  House   of  public 


32  HISTORY    OF 

worship  Burial  Ground  Parsonage  House  or  other  houses 
which  now  do  or  hereafter  shall  belong  to  the  said  church 
and  Corporation. 

Section  5th.  AND  be  it  further  enacted  by  the 
authority  aforesaid  that  the  said  Trustees  and  their  Suc- 
cessors shall  not  by  deed  fine  or  recovery  or  by  any  other 
ways  or  means  grant  alien  or  otherwise  dispose  of  any 
manors  Messuages  Lands  tenements  or  hereditaments  in 
them  or  their  Successors  vested  or  hereafter  to  be  vested 
nor  change  nor  incumber  the  same  to  any  person  or  per- 
sons whatsoever  without  the  consent  and  approbation  of 
a  majority  of  the  Members  of  the  said  Congregation  first 
had  and  obtained 

Section  6th.  AND  be  it  further  enacted  by  the 
authority  aforesaid  that  the  said  trustees  and  their  Suc- 
cessors or  a  majority  of  them  met  from  time  to  time  after 
publick  intimation  given  the  preceding  Lord's  day  com- 
monly called  Sunday  from  the  Desk  or  pulpit  of  the 
said  church  immediately  after  divine  service  before  the 
Congregation  are  dismissed  or  after  regular  notice  in 
writing  left  at  the  house  of  each  Trustee  and  the  particul- 
ar business  inserted  therein  at  least  one  week  before  be 
authorized  and  empowered  and  they  are  hereby  authoriz- 
ed and  empowered  Bye  Laws  and  Ordinances  and  to  do 
everything  needful  for  the  good  government  and  suport 
of  the  secular  affairs  of  the  said  church  Provided  always 
that  the  said  Bye  Laws  rules  and  ordinances  or  any  of 
them  be  not  repugnant  to  the  laws  of  this  Commonwealth 
and  that  all  their  proceedings  be  fairly  and  regularly  en- 
tered into  a  church  Book  to  be  kept  for  that  purpose  and 
also  that  the  said  Trustees  and  their  Successors  by  a  ma- 
jority of  votes  of  any  few  or  more  of  them  when  met  as 
aforesaid  after  such  intimation  or  notice  as  aforesaid  be 
authorized  and  empowered  to  elect  and  appoint  from 
among  themselves  a  President  and  also  to  elect  and  ap- 
point from  among  themselves  or  others  a  Treasurer  and 
Secretary  and  the  same  President  Treasurer  and  Secre- 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  33 

tary  or  any  of  them  at  their  pleasure  to  remove  charge  at- 
test or  continue  as  to  them  or  a  majority  of  any  five  or 
more  of  them  so  met  as  aforesaid  from  time  to  time  shall 
seem  to  be  most  for  the  benefit  of  the  said  church  and  Cor- 
poration. 

Section  7th.  AND  be  it  further  enacted  by  the 
authority  aforesaid  that  the  said  Corporation  and  their 
Successors  shall  have  full  power  and  authority  to  make 
have  and  use  one  common  seal  with  such  device  and  in- 
scription as  they  think  proper  and  the  same  break  alter 
and  renew  at  their  Pleasure. 

Section  8th.  AND  be  it  further  enacted  by  the 
authority  aforesaid  that  the  said  Corporation  and  their 
Successors  by  the  name  of  The  Trustees  of  the  Presbyter- 
ian Church  in  Abington  township  in  the  County  of  Mont- 
gomery aforesaid  shall  be  able  and  capable  in  Law  to  sue 
and  be  sued  plead  and  be  impleaded  in  any  Court  or 
Courts  before  any  Judge  or  Judges  Justice  or  Justices  in 
all  and  all  maner  of  suits  Complaints  pleas  causes  matters 
and  demands  of  whatsoever  nature  kind  or  form  they  may 
be  and  all  and  every  matter  and  thing  therein  in  as  full 
and  effectual  a  manner  as  any  other  person  or  persons 
body  politic  or  corporate  within  this  Commonwealth  may 
or  can  do 

Section  9th.  AND  be  it  further  enacted  by  the 
authority  aforesaid  that  the  said  Corporation  shall  al- 
ways consist  of  nine  members  called  and  known  by  the 
name  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  Ab- 
ington township  in  the  County  of  Montgomery  and  the 
said  Members  shall  at  all  times  hereafter  be  chosen  by 
ballot  by  a  Majority  of  such  Members  met  together  of  the 
said  Congregation  as  are  stated  worshippers  with  the 
said  church  for  not  less  than  the  space  of  one  year  and 
have  paid  the  sum  of  seven  shillings  and  six  pence  yearly 
towards  the  support  of  the  said  church  and  shall  not  at 
any  time  of  voting  be  more  than  one  half  year  in  arrears 
for  the  same. 


34  HISTORY    OF 

Section  10th.  AND  be  it  further  enacted  by  the- 
authority  aforesaid  that  the  said  William  M.  Tennent 
Samuel  McNear  William  Wilson  Joseph  McClean  Garrit 
Wynkoop  John  Mann  Samuel  Leech  Samuel  Erwin  and 
John  Collom  the  first  and  Present  Trustees  hereby  incor- 
porated shall  be  and  Continue  Trustees  aforesaid  until 
they  be  removed  in  manner  following  that  is  to  say  that 
all  and  every  of  the  Trustees  herein  first  named  and  ap- 
pointed shall  cease  and  discontinue  and  their  appoint- 
ment determine  on  the  first  Thursday  of  April  which  will 
be  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  seven  hundred 
and  Eighty  six  upon  which  day  a  new  election  shall  be 
had  and  held  of  so  many  others  in  their  sted  and  place  by 
a  majority  of  the  Persons  met  and  qualified  agreeable  ta 
the  true  intent  and  meaning  of  this  Act  to  vote  and  elect 
as  aforesaid  yearly  and  every  forever  Provided  always 
that  the  same  Trustees  or  either  of  them  may  be  reelected 
at  such  elections  and  if  by  any  accident  an  election  shall 
not  be  held  on  said  day  shall  continue  Trustees  until  an 
election  shall  be  made  at  some  future  day  by  them  to  be 
appointed  so  that  the  same  be  within  a  month  thereafter. 

Section  11th.  PROVIDED  ALSO  That  the  pastor  of 
the  said  Church  for  the  time  being  shall  be  entitled  to  vote 
equally  with  any  Member  of  the  said  Church  or  Congrega- 
tion and  provided  also  that  all  and  every  person  or  per- 
sons qualified  as  aforesaid  to  vote  and  elect  shall  and  may 
be  capable  and  able  to  be  elected  Trustees  aforesaid  and 
when  any  vacancy  shall  happen  by  the  Death  refusal  to 
serve  or  removal  of  any  one  or  more  of  the  Trustees  afore- 
said pursuant  to  the  directions  of  this  Act  an  election 
shall  be  held  of  some  fit  person  or  persons  in  his  or  their 
stead  so  dying  refusing  or  removing  as  soon  as  conven- 
iently can  be  done  and  the  person  or  persons  so  elected 
shall  be  remain  and  continue  as  a  Trustee  or  Trustees 
aforesaid  so  long  without  a  new  election  as  the  person  or 
persons  in  whose  place  and  stead  he  or  they  shall  have 
been  so  elected  as  aforesaid  would  or  might  have  Continu- 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  35^^ 

ed  and  remained  and  no  longer  and  that  in  all  cases  of  a 
vacancy  happening  by  the  means  in  this  Act  last  mention- 
ed the  remaining  Trustees  shall  be  empowered  to  call  a 
meeting  of  the  Electors  for  supplying  the  said  vacancy 
such  meeting  to  be  notified  and  published  in  like  manner 
as  herein  before  is  directed  and  appointed  for  notifying 
and  published  the  meeting  of  the  Trustees 

Section  12th.  PROVIDED  always  and  it  is  hereby 
enacted  by  the  Authority  aforesaid  That  the  clear  yearly 
value  or  income  of  the  Messuages  Houses  Lands  Tene- 
ments Rents  Annuities  or  other  Hereditaments  and  real 
Estate  of  the  said  Corporation  shall  not  exceed  the  sum 
of  five  hundred  pounds  lawful  money  of  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania  to  be  taken  and  esteemed  exclusive  of  the 
money  arising  from  the  annual  estated  contributions  be- 
longing to  the  said  Church  and  also  exclusive  of  the 
monies  arising  from  the  opening  of  the  grounds  or  Burials 
which  said  money  shall  be  received  by  the  Trustees  and 
disposed  of  by  them  in  the  manner  herein  before  directed. 
Signed  by  order  of  the  House 

JOHN  BAYARD,  Speaker. 

Enacted  into  a  law  at  Philadelphia  on  Tuesday  the 
twenty  second  day  of  February  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
one  thousand  seven  hundred  Eighty  Five. 

SAM  BRYAN 

Inrolled  June  1,  A.  D.  1785. 

Clerk  of  the  General  Assembly. 

The  records  of  the  Church  show  that  Mr.  Tennent 
was  a  pushing  business  man,  as  well  as  Preacher.  His  is 
the  first  name  that  appears  in  the  Charter.  He  was  presi- 
dent of  the  Board  of  Trustees  1785, 1786, 1791, 1809. 

In  1810  the  church  paid  nurses  for  attending  sick 
members  for  twenty  weeks. 

April  15,  1808:  The  Communicants  in  the  church 
numbered  43  in  all.      As  follows : 

William  M.  Tennent  and  wife. 


36  HISTORY    OF 

Jolin  and  Elizabeth  Mann. 

Samuel  McNair  and  wife,  Mary, 

William  Cox, 

Widow  Elizabeth  McNeil, 

Nathaniel  Boileau  and  mother, 

Mahlon  Booskirk  and  wife,  Lucretia, 

John  Roads  and  wife,  Sophia, 

William  Wilson  and  wife,  Sarah, 

Rachel  Barnes  and  widow  Daniel  Boileau^ 

John  Morrison  and  wife,  Ann, 

George  Ingles  and  William  Moore, 

Sally  Wilson, 

Alex.  McDowell  and  wife, 

William  Wood, 

Giles  McDowel  and  wife, 

William  Sherman, 

Betty  Caldwell, 

Robert  McMurdy  and  wife, 

William  Alexander, 

Archibald  Wilson, 

Mary  Dillon, 

Samuel  Leech,  wife  and  daughter, 

Samuel  Bennet  and  wife, 

William  VanHorn, 

Mary  Thaw, 

Margaret  McNair. 

In  1788  the  Trustees  presented  to  the  Pastor,  interest 
on  Continental  Certificate  13.10.;  that  is,  thirteen  pounds 
ten  shillings.  YVe  understand  this  to  be  Continenal 
money,  and  of  much  less  value  than  if  it  was  English 
pounds,  shillings  and  pence. 

The  energy  of  Mr.  Tennent  was  further  shown  by  the 
building  of  a  new  church  during  his  ministry;  this  occur- 
red in  1793.  The  new  structure  was  placed  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  York  road  from  the  original  building. 

The  following  endowments  were  secured  during  his 
ministry : — 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  37 

Archibald  McClean,  September  1,  1785,  3  pounds. 

Alex.  Major,  April  5,  1792,  50  pounds. 

Mrs.  Margaret  Sherman,  September  7, 1797,  $4,565.67. 

Isaac  Boileau,  January,  1810,  30  pounds. 

We  quote  from  Dr.  Murphy  in  his  ' '  Cradle  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church"  as  follows: — 

"It  is  said  by  Dr.  A.  Alexander,  who  knew  him  well, 
that  "he  was  a  man  of  great  sweetness  of  temper  and  po- 
liteness of  manner,  and  was  distinguished  for  his  hos- 
pitality. His  home  was  seldom  without  the  company  of 
friends  and  acquaintances." 

"He  received  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Div- 
inity from  Yale  College.  In  1797  he  was  made  Moder- 
ator of  the  General  Assembly.  For  many  years  he  was  a 
Trustee  of  Princeton  College,  a  good  proof,  under  the  cir- 
cumstances, of  the  relationship  of  that  institution  to  the 
Log  College.  He  died  December  2nd,  1810,  after  serving 
the  church  for  twenty-nine  years.  Concerning  his  death. 
Dr.  Alexander,  who  was  often  with  him  during  his  last  ill- 
ness, wrote:  "I  must  say  that  I  never  saw  a  person  in  a 
sweeter,  calmer,  happier  state  of  mind,  and  continued  for 
many  weeks. ' ' 

Mr.  Tennent  is  buried  in  Abington  Cemetery,  and  his 
tombstone  contains  the  following  inscription: — 

In  memory  of  the 
Rev.  William  M.  Tennent,  D.  D. 
Who  was  born  January  1,  A.  D.  1744 
Licensed  to  preach  the  Gospel  in  May,  1770,  ordain- 
ed to  the  work  of  the  Gospel  Ministry  at  Greenfield  in 
Connecticut  in  June  1772.       Removed  to  this  church  in 
connection  with  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Norrington 
and  Providence  in  December  1781,  and  having  with  zeal 
and  fidelity  discharged  every  pastoral  dutj^  and  shown  an 
instructive  example  of  Christian  temper    and    private 
worth. 


38  HISTORY    OF 

He  closed  his  life  with  a  most  edifying  exhibition  of 
Christian  humility,  fortitude  and  faith,  through  the 
whole  of  a  tedious  illness,  of  which  he  died  December  2d, 
1810,  In  the  67th  year  of  his  age. 


CHAPTER  V. 

REV.  WILLIAM  DUNLAR  1812-1818. 

The  Rev.  "William  Diinlap  was  ordained  Pastor  of 
this  church  July  22,  1812.  His  father  was  President  of 
Jefferson  College.  He  had  begun  his  ministerial  career 
as  a  Missionary  in  Canada,  and  was  only  thirty  years  old 
when  he  came  to  this  church. 

This  was  during  the  war  with  England.  There  is  no 
mention  made  of  why  he  should  have  left  Canada,  but  per- 
haps the  war  feeling  had  something  to  do  with  it,  as  the 
armies  of  both  parties  were  active  along  the  Canadian 
border. 

The  Rev'd.  Leighton  W.  Eckard  makes  this  remark 
in  regard  to  Mr.  Dunlap : — ' '  He  died  in  his  36th  year. 
Simple  in  manner,  sincere  in  character,  preaching  the 
word  with  fidelity,  such  is  the  record  we  find  of  him,  and 
what  praise  can  be  greater  ? ' ' 

He  is  buried  in  Abington  church  cemetery,  and  his 
tombstone  contains  the  following: — 

The  Rev'd.  William  Dunlap  A.  M.  was  born  in  Fay- 
ette county,  Pennsylvania,  educated  at  Jefferson  College, 
licensed  to  preach  the  Gospel  by  the  New  Brunswick 
Presbytery,  August  8th,  1809.  Ordained  and  installed 
pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  congregation  at  Abington, 
July  21,  1812  and  departed  this  life  December  19th,  1818 
in  the  36th  year  of  his  age. 

He  preached  the  Gospel  with  zeal  in  its  purity  and 
simplicity,  in  a  style,  neat,  chaste  and  classical. 

By  his  exemplary  walk  and  conversation  he  taught 
his  people  how  to  live  this  life. 

(39) 


40   HISTORY  OF  ABINGTON  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 

By  his  patient,  cheerful  resignation  during  a  long 
and  painful  illness  to  die  the  death  of  a  Christian. 

By  his  side  is  the  tomb  of  his  father  which  contains 
the  following 

Sacred  to  the  Memory  of 
Rev.  James  Dunlap,  D.  D. 

Who  was  a  native  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  com- 
pleted his  education  at  Princeton  College.  Was  for  many 
years  Pastor  of  a  large  congregation  in  Fayette  county. 
From  thence  he  was  called  to  Jefferson  College  over 
which  he  presided  about  12  years. 

His  health  declining  he  resigned  the  Presidency  and 
came  to  reside  with  his  son,  the  pastor  of  Abington  church 
where  he  expired  November  22nd,  1818  in  the  75th  year 
of  his  age  in  a  lively  hope  of  a  blessed  immortality. 


The  farm  belonging  to  the  Parsonage  was  evidently  a 
very  important  matter  in  those  days,  as  shown  by  the 
following: — 

"Received  March  5th,  1821,  of  John  Stevens,  Treas- 
urer of  the  Corporation  of  Abington,  the  sum  of  Two 
Hundred  Dollars,  on  account  of  a  balance  due  from  the 
Congregation  to  the  Estate  of  the  Rev.  William  Dunlap, 
deceased.  It  being  the  amount  of  the  rent  due  to  the  said 
Congregation  from  Jesse  Childs,  for  the  parsonage  planta- 
tion occupied  by  him  the  year  1819. 

N.  B.  Boileau, 

Executor  of  the  Estate  of  the  Rev.  William  Dunlap. ' ' 


CHAPTER  VI. 
REV.  ROBERT  STEEL.  1819-1862. 

Rev.  Robert  Steel  v/as  ordained  and  installed  pastor 
of  Abington  Presbyterian  church,  November  9th,  1819. 
The  Rev.  John  Gray  thus  speaks  of  Dr.  Steel : — 

"He  was  born  January  9th,  1794  in  the  Protestant 
Province  of  Ulster  in  the  North  of  Ireland,  and  in  that 
part  of  the  Province  in  which  Presbyterianism  came  from 
Scotland,  and  from  whence  it  came  to  this  country;  and  as 
freedom  and  Presbyterianism  are  indissolubly  allied,  he 
was  born  and  cradled  in  the  very  lap  of  liberty,  for  his 
parents  and  the  community  were  Presbyterians.  Nay, 
but  more  still,  he  was  born  in  the  close  vicinage  of  the  an- 
cient and  celebrated  city  of  Londonderry.  Here,  no 
doubt,  in  that  region,  rich  in  scenery,  rich  in  the  piety 
and  intelligence  of  its  populaton,  and  rich  in  the  historic 
records  of  the  heroic  resistance  to  James  and  Popery,  his 
youthful  and  susceptible  heart  became  early  and  perman- 
ently affected  with  that  love  of  freedom  which  so  eminent- 
ly characterized  him  through  the  whole  of  his  subsequent 
life.  It  is  a  matter  of  historic  record,  that  when  the  army 
of  James  could  not  reduce  the  city,  the  Commander  drove 
in  under  the  walls,  from  the  neighboring  community, 
many  of  their  most  influential  Protestant  inhabitants,  and 
kept  them  there  in  a  condition  of  sore  want,  that  the  sym- 
pathy of  those  within  for  their  friends  without,  might  in- 
duce them  to  surrender.  But  these  martyrs  to  liberty, 
instead  of  operating  as  desired  and  expected,  only 
strengthened  the  sorrows  and  determination  of  those 
within,  by  urging  and  entreating  them  not  to  surrender. 
This  is  history.      Tradition  adds,  that  amongst    those 

(41) 


42  HISTORY    OF 

memorable  men,  were  some  of  those  from  whom  our  late 
brother  was  descended." 

*'It  is  known  *  *  *  that  in  his  boyhood,  induced  by 
an  older  brother,  Dr.  Steel  came  to  this  country,  where  he 
received  his  education.  In  the  then  celebrated  academy 
of  ''Gray  and  Wiley"  he  received  his  preparatory  clas- 
sical training  for  Princeton  College,  where  he  graduated. 
From  this  he  entered  the  Theological  Seminary  in  the 
City  of  New  York,  which  the  commanding  talent  of  Dr. 
Mason  had  rendered  famous.  He  graduated  there  in 
theology,  he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Philadelphia.  Being  of  an  active  and  inquiring  mind, 
and  possessing  a  retentive  memory,  and  having  had  sucli 
advantages.  Dr.  Steel  came  into  public  life  more  than 
usually  fitted  for  usefulness  and  popularity.  After  mis- 
sionating  for  a  short  time  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  he 
received  and  accepted  a  call  from  this  church. ' ' 

Mrs.  Mary  Steel,  his  wife,  was  admitted  to  the 
church,  March  31,  1821,  on  certificate  from  the  church  at 
Newtown. 

Their  eldest  daughter  was  baptised  November  13, 
1823. 

Rev.  Leighton  "W.  Eckard,  D.  D.,  in  his  sermon 
preached  August  30,  1876,  says : 

"A  marked  and  gracious  outpouring  of  spiritual 
power  distinguished  the  summer  of  1831.  A  day  of  hu- 
miliation and  prayer  had,  by  appointment  of  the  Session, 
been  solemnly  observed,  and  even  while  the  people  called, 
the  answer  was  returned.  When  the  Sabbath  came,  the 
number  attending  service  was  so  large  that  all  could  not 
be  accommodated  and  some  returned  disappointed.  Dur- 
ing the  day  four  sermons  were  preached  by  Dr.  Steel  and 
the  Eev.  Mr.  Grant.  So  marked  was  the  seriousness  that 
the  pastor  left  the  pulpit  and  conversed  with  the  people 
concerning  their  souls'  interest  in  their  own  pews.  On 
the  following  Wednesday,  fifty  inquirers  came  to  him  for 
further  instruction  which  was  most  joyfully  given,  and  so 


REV.  ROBERT  STEEL. 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  43 

for  weeks  the  good  work  went  on.  Drs.  Ely,  Green,  Jun- 
kin,  McAuley  and  others  were  invited  to  assist.  They 
rendered  much  aid.  Dr.  Steel  mentions  himself  as  a  most 
impressive  sight  the  coming  forward  of  eight  adults  at 
one  time  to  be  baptized.  Many  were  received  into  the 
Church  Communion. 

Dr.  Steel  enumerates  the  following  communicants  1816 
to  1828,  ninety-one  in  all: 


Adams,  Amy  Ann 
Adams,  Mrs. 
Allen,  Margaret 
Barnes,  Baker 
Barnes,  Clement 
Barnes,  Martha 
Barnes,  Rachel 
Barnes,  Susan 
Beatty,  Dr.  C.  C. 
Benezet,  Mary 
Benner,  Mrs. 
Bennett,  Simon 
Boileau,  Nathaniel 
Booskirk,  Eleanor 
Booskirk,  Letitia 
Braddes,  Mrs. 
Carter,  Sarah 
Dunlap,  Elizabeth 
Dunlap,  Sarah 
Eastman,  Nancy 
Hoey,  Widow 
Leech,  Ann 
Leech,  Samuel,  Sr. 
Longshore,  Nancy 
Mann,  E. 
Mann,  John 
Mann,  Susan 
Morrison,  John 


Adams,  James 
Adams,  Priscilla 
Aubinger,  AVilliam 
Barnes,  Benjamin 
Barnes,  Hannah 
Barnes,  Mrs. 
Barnes,  Robert 
Barnhill,  Jane 
Beatty,  Mrs. 
Benner,  Jacob 
Bennett,  Mrs. 
Berril,  George 
Boileau,  Widow 
Booskirk,  John 
Booskirk,  Mahlon 
Car,  Widow 
Dillion,  Mary 
Dunlap,  James 
Dunlap,  William 
Henson,  Thomas  (colored) 
Ingles,  George 
Leech,  Mrs. 
Leech,  Samuel,  Jr. 
Magill,  Mrs. 
Mann,  Elizabeth 
Mann,  Josiali 
Morrison,  Ann 
McDowell,  Giles 


44  HISTORY    OF 

McDowell,  Mary  McDowell,  Widow 

McNair,  Marj-  McNeil,  Elizabeth 

Ramsey,  Marion  Ramsey,  Sarah 

Roods,  Sophia  Roods,  John 

Robb,  Mrs.  Schenek,  Sarah,  (colored) 

Scott,  Susan  Shaw,  Catharine 

Shelmire,  Mrs.  Smith,  James 

Smith,  Jane  Smith,  Susan  B. 

Steel,  Mrs.  Stewart,  Ann  J. 

Stewart,  Maria  Wigdon,  Mrs. 

Williamson,  Mrs.  Wilson,  Archibald 

Wilson,  Sarah  Wilson,  Susan  E. 

Wilson,  William  Wood,  Widow 

Woolman,  Hannah  Wyman,  Mr. 

Yerkes,  Harman  Yerkes,  Mrs.  Elizabeth 

Yerkes,  Elizabeth  Yerkes,  Hester 

Yerkes,  Mary  Yerkes,  Mrs. 
Young,  Sarah 

The  activity  and  energy  of  Dr.  Steel  was  shown  in 
rebuilding  the  church  in  1833,  at  a  cost  of  $1,893.36.  There 
is  a  tradition  that  the  same  stone  was  used  that  formed 
the  old  church;  and  this  is  quite  probable,  for  the  small 
cost  of  this  church  is  a  wonder  to  all  who  know  anything 
of  the  cost  of  building  at  the  time  this  history  is  written 
(1910). 

THE  ORIGIN  AND  WORK  OF  THE  SUSAN  B.  SMITH 
MISSION  BAND. 

It  is  quite  remarkable  that  the  interest  in  Foreign 
Missions  developed  in  this  church  many  years  before  the 
women  of  the  Presbyterian  church  formed  their  Society. 

Miss  Susan  Bayard  Smith  had  two  cousins  in  Foreign 
Mission  fields;  one  in  India  and  one  in  Africa.  She  show- 
ed her  own  interest  in  the  foreign  field  by  forming  a  band 
of  young  people.  They  made  their  first  report  to  the 
church  in  1837  and  it  is  as  follows : 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  43 

SUSAN  B.  SMITH  BAND. 

Report  for  1S37. 

About  two  years  ago  a  proposal  was  made  to  the 
youth  and  children  of  this  church  and  Sabbath  school  to 
form  themselves  into  a  little  band  of  Brothers  and  Sisters 
for  the  purpose  of  unitedly  doing  what  they  could  to  pro- 
mote the  Missionary  Cause. 

The  proposal  was  met  with  much  pleasure  by  a  few 
warm  hearted  individuals.  These — twelve  in  number — 
agreed  to  form  themselves  into  a  Society  to  meet  twice  in 
each  year,  on  the  first  Saturday  of  May  and  October  when 
their  gifts  to  the  church  (either  earned  or  saved  by  the 
practice  of  self-denial)  were  to  be  brought  in  and  in 
obedience  to  their  Savior's  command  were  to  be  appro- 
priated to  His  service. 

Since  the  formation  of  the  Society  its  members  have 
increased  from  twelve  to  upwards  of  fifty.  It  is  now  like 
the  small  rill  when  it  issues  from  its  earthly  bed,  scarce 
worthy  of  notice,  but  by  the  blessing  of  the  Most  High 
whose  mercy  drops  are  continually  falling,  it  may  become 
a  refreshing  stream  which  shall  make  glad  many  hearts. 

The  Treasurer  of  the  Society  since  its  first  meeting  in 
October  1835  has  received  the  sum  of  twenty-two  dollars 
thirty-six  cents. 

This  sum  has  been  appropriated  in  the  following 
manner : 

Books  sent  to  Eev'd  Henry  Wilson  for  the  use  of 
Choctaw  Indian  children.    Value  $5.65. 

To  Miss  Sarah  Carter,  of  Little  Rock,  Arkansas, 
books  for  the  use  of  an  Infant  and  Sabbath  school,  Value 
$7.00. 

To  Mrs.  J.  Wilson,  Cape  Palmas,  Africa,  books. 
Value  $2.00. 

To  Rev'd  E.  Steel  for  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions. 
Cash  $5.00. 

To  Rev'd  Mr.  Banks  for  the  use  of  a  Sabbath  school 


46  HISTORY    OF 

at  Spring  Hill,  Arkansas.    Cash  for  the  purchase  of  books 
$2.50.      Balance  21  cents.      Total  $22.36. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  books  sent  to  the  places 
named :  ' 

Bibles  and  Testaments             -             -             -  46 

Union  Hymn  Books             .             _             .  28 

First  and  Second  Beading  Books             -         -  36 

Shorter  Catechism  and  Brown's  Catechism         -  48 

Milk  for  Babes             .             ...  30 

Tracts              .             .              _             .              _  50 
Sunday  School  Publications             -             -             -        6 


244 

In  addition  to  the  above  the  Society  have  made  and 
forwarded  upwards  of  one  hundred  family  articles  as 
''Rewards." 

These  are  intended  as  incitements  to  industry,  being 
furnished  with  pins,  needles,  cotton,  etc. 

It  is  encouraging  to  state  that  grateful  thanks  have 
been  returned  for  the  donations  already  received,  and 
that  fervent  prayers  are  offered  by  distant  friends  for  the 
salvation  of  those  dear  youths  and  children  who  are  send- 
ing the  Bread  of  life  to  destitute  Heathen  Children. 
May  1837. 

"Letters    from    Mrs.  J.  E.  Wilson,  Cape     Palmas, 
Africa,  to  Miss  Susan  B.  Smith. 

December  23rd,  1839 

I  have  my  dear  Cousin  sent  Laurianna's  letter  with- 
out correction  thinking  you  and  your  dear  girls  would  be 
more  pleased  to  see  it  in  this  way.  She  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Church  for  a  year  and  we  sincerely  hope  is  in- 
deed a  child  of  God. 

Mr.  W.  and  I  now  have  good  health  and  will  always 
be  glad  to  hear  from  you.    You  can  scarcely  imagine  what 
a  commotion  your  doll  has  occasioned. 
Yours  with  affection, 

(Sgd.)  J.E.Wilson" 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  47 

Letter  written  by  the  Scholar  referred  to  in  Mrs. 
Wilson's  letter: — 

December  23,  1839 
Dear  Friend 

I  feel  very  glad  to  write  you  a  few  lines.  I  hope  you 
will  inform  the  ladys  doll  what  you  send  to  Mrs.  Wilson 
was  very  pretty  all  the  boys  and  girls  was  glad  to  see  it 
Mrs.  Wilson  was  very  much  pleased  her  self  she  is  quite 
well  now  Some  old  our  country  men  says  this  doll  looks 
like  a  truth  baby  but  they  say  what  reason  American  did 
not  put  breath  in  to  it  but  now  our  country  men  trying  to 
give  up  their  Gnegnes  some  bleve  that  God  is  a  truth  God 
I  wish  all  give  up  their  Gnegnes  and  come  to  God  and  beg 
God  to  pardon  their  sins  because  Jesus  dide  for  our  sins 
that  we  may  save. 

I  am  your  friend, 

(Sgd.)  L.  A.  Barker, 

RECOLLECTIONS  OF  DR.  GEORGE  STEWART. 

Dr.  George  Stewart,  in  his  recollections  given  in  June 
1905  says : —  ' '  Having  been  requested  to  give  my  recol- 
lections of  my  childhood,  as  connected  with  Abington 
Presbyterian  Church,  I  may  say  that  my  first  remem- 
brance is  of  the  what  I  may  call  "The  Dr.  Tennent 
Church"  occupied  in  1793  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Dr. 
Tennent,  and  which  was  used  by  the  congregation  for  for- 
ty years  or  more.  My  recollections  are  somewhat  dim,  but 
as  a  child  the  church  seemed  to  me  to  be  a  symmetrical 
and  well  shaped  comfortable  building  for  the  purposes  of 
devotion,  but  it  was  too  small  for  the  convenience  of  the 
congregation  who  wished  to  worship  there,  and  in  1833, 
in  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Robert  Steel,  the  Dr.  Tennent 
Church  was  rebuilt  and  enlarged  at  an  expense  which 
would  seem  very  small  in  our  day,  $1800.  The  rebuilding 
was  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  John  Blake,  a  member  of 
the  congregation,  then  living  near  the  Foxchase. 


48  HISTORY    OF 

Of  the  services  connected  with  the  opening  and  dedi- 
cation of  the  churcli,  I  have  no  remembrance;  the  probab- 
ility is,  I  was  not  there. 

The  church  was  wholly  devoid  of  any  architectural 
beauty,  but  it  was  large  and  solidly  built.  One  of  my 
most  vivid  recollections  is  connected  with  its  ceiling.  It 
was  a  high  rounded  ceiling,  vaulted  on  the  sides,  with  u 
flat  centre,  the  spaces  between  the  vaultings  and  the  flat 
centre  being  filled  in  with  moldings  running  from  the 
doors  to  the  pulpit,  over  the  aisles.  Well,  some  little 
while  after  the  church  was  occupied,  on  one  Sabbath 
morning  during  the  sermon,  the  whole  of  both  these  mold- 
ings fell  suddenly  and  without  any  warning,  but  as  the 
moldings  were  over  the  aisles,  no  one  was  hurt,  except  one 
person  whose  arm  was  resting  on  the  side  of  a  seat,  and  1 
believe  the  injury  was  slight.  The  congregation  rushed 
out  into  the  yard  around  the  church,  and  for  a  time  there 
was  great  excitement,  which,  however,  calmed  down  in  a 
little  while  and  the  service  went  on  as  usual.  The  mold- 
ings were  never  replaced. 

The  heating  arrangement  of  the  church  was  the  in- 
vention of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Nott,  President  of  the  Union  Col- 
lege, New  York,  and  consisted  of  four  large  anthracite 
coal  stoves,  two  in  each  room,  and  were  found  quite  ade- 
quate. 

The  singing  of  the  church  was  led  by  two  Precentors 
who  had  seats  beneath  the  pulpit.  At  about  1835  Mr.  Ma- 
son Kendall,  a  teacher  of  vocal  music,  organized  a  singing 
class  in  the  church,  and  a  good  deal  of  interest  was  shown 
in  the  exercises  of  this  class,  and  in  vocal  culture  general- 
ly. After  a  time,  it  was  deemed  best  to  organize  a  choir, 
and,  as  the  church  had  a  large  gallery  opposite  the  pulpit, 
the  newly-organized  choir  was  placed  in  the  gallery,  un- 
der the  leadership  of  Mr.  William  Kennedy,  quite  a  num- 
ber of  young  ladies  and  gentlemen  giving  their  services  in 
the  music  of  the  churcli.  Among  those  whom  I  remem- 
ber as  belonging  to  the  choir,  were  the  Misses  Elizabeth 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  49 

and  Anna  Bell,  afterwards  Mrs.  George  Fenton  and  Mrs. 
George  Mann,  respectively.  Miss  Emma  Allen,  after- 
wards Mrs.  William  Kennedy;  Miss  Elizabeth  Steel, 
daughter  of  the  Pastor,  afterwards  Mrs.  John  J.  C.  Har- 
vey, the  two  Misses  Leach  and  others.  Among  the  gentle- 
men were  Albert  Mann  and  James  Miller. 

The  congregation  covered  a  wide  extent  of  territory. 
Some  of  the  names  I  recall  are  the  family  of  Leiberts^ 
James  Miller,  Manns,  Fentons,  Coltman,  Blake,  Barnes, 
Dr.  Holmes,  Morrison,  Robinson,  Trautwine,  W^nnan, 
Ayres,  Shelmire,  Dannehower,  Larzelere,  Yerkes,  Wyn- 
koop,  Boileaii,  Berell,  Wigfall  and  Hamel.  The  Pastor's 
brother,  James  Steel,  John  and  Moore  Stevens,  Boutcher, 
Kennedy,  Major  Woolman.  Dr.  Steel  for  quite  a  num- 
ber of  years  conducted  a  boarding  and  day  school  for 
boys  in  the  Parsonage  Farm  (now  known  as  the  Lambert 
property)  for  which  he.  Dr.  Steel,  built  a  school  building. 
After  some  time  he  rented  the  Parsonage  farm  to  Mr. 
John  McNair,  who  conducted  the  boarding  and  day 
school  for  several  years  more,  until  about  1837  in  the 
house  on  the  top  of  the  hill  south  of  the  village,  now  own- 
ed by  Mrs.  Merritt.  He  rented  to  others  who  continued 
the  school.  When  he  left  the  Parsonage  Dr.  Steel  pur- 
chased for  the  church  the  fourteen  acres  at  the  corner  of 
York  road  and  Susquehanna  road.  He  made  an  addi- 
tion to  the  house  and  conducted  a  girls'  school  there  for 
several  years.  In  the  autumn  of  1840,  I  became  a  pupil 
at  the  Lawrenceville  School,  New  Jersey,  and  from  that 
period  I  ceased  to  be  a  resident  member  of  the  Abington 
Church. ' ' 

Dr.  Stewart  was  greatly  influenced  by  Dr.  Steel  in 
his  decision  to  become  a  minister.  A  full  account  of  Dr. 
Stewart  will  be  found  in  another  place  in  this  work. 

RECOLLECTIONS  OF  REV.  JOHN  S.  STEWART,  D.  D. 

June,  1905. 

''I  can  remember  the  Congregation  and  Church  back 


50  HISTORY    OF 

to  1840.  I  was  about  five  years  old  at  that  time.  We 
lived  in  Jenkintown  then,  and  always  drove  to  church  in 
the  mornings.  There  was  no  regular  Sunday  evening 
service,  except  when  five  Sundays  occurred  in  a  month, 
when  Dr.  Steel  would  arrange  for  an  evening  service  on 
the  fifth  Sunday,  usually  a  missionary  service.  Sunday 
school  was  held  in  the  afternoon.  The  old  church  at  that 
timie  had  a  large  congregation  of  excellent  people.  It 
was  a  very  homely  old  church  with  whitewashed  walls. 
The  services  were  very  long,  especially  the  Communion 
services.  I  timed  Dr.  Steel  one  day  and  found  that  he  had 
preached  an  hour  and  a  half. 

We  always  had  a  full  quota  of  service  before  the 
Communion,  and  this  made  it  very  long,  but  people  only 
went  to  church  once  a  day  then  and  didn't  mind  getting 
out  at  two  o'clock.  Dr.  Steel  usually  had  an  Assisting 
Minister  on  Communion  Sundays,  sometimes  two.  In  the 
latter  case,  one  of  them  would  preach,  and  both  assist  at 
the  Communion.  But  still  I  do  not  remember  any  fault 
ever  being  found  with  the  length  of  the  service,  nor  any 
complaint  of  any  kind;  they  expected  a  good  long  service. 
Indeed  there  were  no  criticisms  in  those  days,  either  in  re- 
gard to  the  ser^dce,  the  Minister,  the  choir,  or  anythng 
connected  with  the  church.  If  any  of  us  did  happen  to 
find  fault  with  anything,  miother  would  reprove  us,  and 
this  was  the  custom  generally  throughout  the  congrega- 
tion.     There  is  a  great  change  in  this  respect  now-a-days. 

They  had  quite  a  large  choir,  led  by  William  Ken- 
nedy, and  made  up  of  young  people  of  the  church.  They 
sang  very  well  and  had  quite  a  good  reputation  through- 
out the  country.  William  Kennedy  was  my  school  teach- 
er at  Jenkintown.  In  addition  to  being  a  fine  bass  sing- 
er, he  was  a  very  efficient  leader.  I  remember  the  choir 
very  distinctly,  because  I  sang  in  it  myself  for  a  time. 
Right  up  to  the  time  of  Dr.  Steel's  death,  they  had  a  very 
good  choir,  but  never  any  instrumental  music;  they  used 
the  old-fashioned  tuning  fork  to  start  the  singing,  or  rath- 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  51 

er  to  get  their  key-note.  The  older  people  would  sing  as 
well  as  the  choir,  some  with  cracked  voices,  and  some  with 
no  voices  at  all,  but  still  they  sang.    Singing  was  worship. 

They  used  the  ''Psalms  and  Hjnnns"  introduced  iu 
1844,  or  thereabouts.  Before  that  they  used  a  book  by 
Dr.  Watts,  containing  "Psalms  and  Paraphrases."  Dr. 
Steel  was  very  fond  of  having  the  psalms  sung,  and  would 
generally  select  the  longest  in  the  book.  Nor  do  I  ever 
remember  that  he  omitted  a  single  verse  or  stanza.  Like- 
wise, he  never  failed  to  read  a  whole  chapter,  or  sing  an 
entire  hymn.  To  omit  a  verse  would  have  been  regarded 
as  too  much  of  a  concession  to  carnal  comfort.  In  those 
days  everything  was  done  with  regard  to  the  solemnity 
and  propriety  of  things.  I  remember  the  Communion  ser- 
vices were  very  solemn,  excessively  so.  In  these  days  we 
try  to  soften  down  the  solemn  features,  which,  I  think  is 
right  in  the  main,  though  it  may  be  carried  too  far.  We 
should  be  joyful  in  the  house  of  prayer,  but  not  flippant. 
The  solemnity  of  the  Communion  service  is  impressed 
upon  my  mind.  They  would  always  sing  a  hymn  before 
the  service,  and  Dr.  Steel  would  request  all  those  who 
were  not  Communicants  to  change  to  the  side  pews;  no- 
body ever  went  out. 

One  of  my  earliest  recollections  is  the  Sunday  school. 
The  old  church  was  built  upon  ground  that  sloped  to  the 
south;  it  faced  east;  you  went  up  steps  to  get  in  the  front 
doors,  and  along  the  side  of  the  church,  on  the  south,  ran  a 
narrow  room  extending  the  whole  length  of  the  building; 
that  was  the  Sunday  school  room,  or,  as  we  used  to  call  it, 
the  ' '  Session  Eoom. ' '  That  was  where  the  Sunday  school 
was  always  held.  Dr.  Charles  C.  Beatty  was  superinten- 
dent and  lived  back  on  the  hill  near  Eydal  station.  The 
boys  would  gather  in  front  of  the  church  until  they  saw 
the  Doctor  coming,  when  they  would  all  take  care  to  get 
inside  as  quickly  as  possible,  knowing  full  well  that  we 
would  get  well  talked  to  if  we  did  not.  The  Doctor's 
desk  was  opposite  the  door,  and  had  once  been  a  pulpit. 


52  HISTORY    OF 

There  was  nothing  attractive  about  the  Sundaj^ 
school,  but  the  teachers  were  good  and  faithful.  The  little 
ones  forming  the  Primary  class  were  taken  up  into  the 
church  and  sat  on  the  steps  of  the  gallery.  My  first  teach- 
ers were  Miss  Mary  Parvin  (afterwards  Mrs.  Porter  and 
Mrs.  Janvier),  Miss  Bessie  Steel  (the  Doctor's  eldest 
daughter — afterwards  Mrs.  John  J.C.Harvey).  They 
had  charge  of  the  Primary  department  of  the  school  in 
those  days. 

We  had  a  "Juvenile  Missionary  Society"  at  Abing- 
ton,  the  dominant  principle  of  which  was  ' '  Self  Denial. '  ^ 
When  a  child  handed  in  money  for  the  Missionary  So- 
ciety, the  President  asked  "How  did  you  get  the  mone}^?" 
The  usual  answer  was,  "by  self-denial."  When  my  turn 
came,  I  presented  the  money  that  some  one  of  the  family 
had  given  me  for  the  purpose  (I  did  not  know  much  about 
self  denial),  and  when  asked  the  usual  question,  I  replied, 
confidently  but  innocently  ' '  by  self  denial. ' '  Some  one 
snickered. 

A  little  later  the  Newton  family  came  to  Abington  as 
guests  at  the  Manse.  Also  Eev.  W.  A.  P.  Martin,  who 
courted  his  wife  here.  There  was  a  strong  missionary 
feeling  existing  at  that  time.  Dr.  Martin  became  famous 
in  China,  and  was  afterwards  Special  Counsellor  to  the 
Emperor.  Dr.  Martin  came  to  Abington  about  1850  and 
married  Mary  Vansant,  a  ward  of  Dr.  Steel's. 

Miss  Mary  Parvin  married  here.  Her  first  husband, 
Rev.  Mr.  Porter,  was  a  Missionary  to  India.  I  was  pres- 
ent at  their  wedding  in  the  church  and  helped  sing  the 
Missionary  hymn  as  a  recessional.  Mrs.  Martin,  Mrs. 
Janvier  and  Mrs.  John  Newton,  Jr.,  went  from  this 
church  into  the  foreign  field. 

This  church  also  turned  out  a  number  of  preachers, 
among  them  being  Rev.  Dr.  Henry  J.  Vandyke,  Dr.  Alfred 
Ryers,  Dr.  Joseph  Stevens,  John  McNair,  also  my  brother, 
George  D.  and  myself. 

Dr.  Steel  not  only  preached,  but  also  conducted  a 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  53 

private  school,  as  was  common  seventy-five  years  ago.  Af- 
terwards lie  had  a  Girls'  school,  and  I  remember  some  of 
the  girls.  They  always  sat  in  the  front  seats  in  church. 
I  think  there  must  have  been  twenty-four  or  thirty  girls 
in  the  school.  Miss  Mercy  Vansant  and  Miss  Mary  Par- 
vin  assisted  Dr.  Steel  in  the  teaching. 

About  1850,  after  thirty  year's  service,  it  is  not  sur- 
prising that  conditions  should  change,  and  that  Dr.  Steel 
should  see  possibilities  for  future  growth  and  develop- 
ment. Consequently,  the  farm  was  sold  in  1856  for 
$18,872.50.  A  new  parsonage  was  built  costing  $5,319.93 
and  the  house  with  13  acres  of  ground  at  the  corner  of 
York  road  and  Susquehanna  road  was  purchased  for 
$4,500.  Plans  were  considered  for  a  new  church  build- 
ing, but  did  not  materialize  during  Dr.  Steel's  lifetime. 

The  only  endowment  received  during  Dr.  Steel 's  min- 
istry was  $500  from  John  Morrison  in  1840. 

The  Rev.  John  S.  Stewart,  D.  D.,  in  his  recollections, 
says  that  "Dr.  Steel  was  a  very  active  man;  he  was  not  a 
student,  his  tastes  not  being  of  that  kind.  His  sermons 
did  not  show  any  theological  aptitude,  but  he  was  a  prac- 
tical man  and  preached  practical  sermons;  a  very  pleas- 
ant, generous,  cordial  man,  and  very  popular.  He  was 
very  felicitous  in  conducting  a  funeral  service,  and  his 
prayers  were  peculiarly  fervent  and  appropriate. 

He  was  a  good  man  and  a  faithful  friend,  a  good  man 
in  every  relation  of  life.  He  was  fond  of  going  to  Phila- 
delphia to  all  sorts  of  meetings.  I  remember  the  revival 
in  1858,  he  used  to  go  down  to  Jayne  's  hall  every  day  and 
come  back  in  the  afternoon  and  tell  us  about  those  Mon- 
day prayer  meetings.  He  was  a  great  personal  friend  of 
George  H.  Stuart,  and  was  very  highly  esteemed  by  the 
Philadelphia  preachers,  and  all  who  knew  him.  "Dr. 
Henry  A.  Boardman  was  a  friend  of  his." 

Dr.  Steel  died  in  the  parsonage  at  Abington,  Septem- 
ber 2nd,  1862. 

Eev.  John  Gray,  D.  D.,  of  Easton,  preached  in  Abing- 


54  HISTORY    OF 

ton  church,  October  5, 1862  a  sermon  on  the  life  and  death 
of  Dr.  Steel.  His  text  was : — ' '  He  was  a  good  man  and 
just." 

The  following  notice  was  published  in  ' '  The  Presby- 
terian ' ' : — 

"FUNERAL  OF  DR.  STEEL." 

"Last  week  we  announced  the  death  of  the  Kev. 
Eobert  Steel,  D.  D.,  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at 
Abington,  Pennsylvania.  On  Friday,  September  5th,  his 
remains  were  committed  to  the  grave  in  the  church  yard 
near  to  which  for  more  than  forty  years  he  preached  the 
blessed  gospel  of  Christ.  The  presence  of  a  large  congre- 
gation composed  of  men  of  every  creed,  and  every  class  in 
life,  many  of  whom  had  known  Dr.  Steel  through  the 
course  of  his  long  and  honored  life,  fully  attested  the 
strong  hold  which  he  had  secured  upon  the  love  and  re- 
spect of  the  community  in  which  he  had  dwelt.  It  was  a 
sincere,  spontaneous  tribute  to  the  memory  of  a  good  and 
useful  man,  by  those  who  had  the  best  opportunities  of  ob- 
serving his  goodness  and  usefulness. 

A  procession  formed  of  the  attending  clergy  and  the 
immediate  relatives  and  friends  of  the  deceased,  bore  the 
body  from,  the  parsonage  to  the  church  in  which  he  had 
ministered  for  forty-three  years,  which  was  already  filled 
by  a  large  assembly.  The  services  were  begun  by  the  Rev. 
John  Gray,  D.  D.,  of  Easton,  Pennsylvania,  the  life-long 
friend  of  Dr.  Steel,  who  gave  out  a  hymn,  read  a  portion 
of  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  1st  Corinthians,  and  uttered  a 
few  tender  and  affectionate  words  over  the  body  of  his 
brother  and  friend.  He  was  followed  by  the  Eev.  Jacob 
Belville,  whose  father,  then  settled  in  a  neighboring 
church,  had  been  Dr.  Steel's  early  companion  in  the  min- 
istry. Mr.  Belville 's  words  were  addressed  to  the  church 
and  congregation  of  the  departed  father,  and  we  have 
rarely  heard  an  appeal  which  was  so  apposite  and  beauti- 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  S5 

ful.  Prayer  was  then  made  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Murphy,  of 
Frankfort,  Pennsylvania.  The  procession  re-formed,  gind 
the  body  carried  by  members  of  the  Second  Presbytery 
of  Pliiladelphia,  was  borne  to  the  old  church  yard  imme- 
diately opposite  to  the  church,  and  there,  as  the  sun  was 
going  down  in  the  western  sky,  was  laid  to  rest  in  the 
midst  of  many  whom  he  led  to  Christ  and  comforted  in 
their  last  hours,  and  with  whom  he  sleeps  now  in  the  hope 
of  a  blessed  resurrection.  A  solemn  prayer  was  offered 
at  the  grave  by  the  Eev.  Dr.  Sheddan,  of  Rahway,  New 
Jersey,  and  the  great  congregation  quietly  separated. 

It  speaks  well  for  the  people  of  the  venerable  church 
at  Abington,  that  all  their  ministers  have  died  while  pas- 
tors of  the  church,  and  that  their  sepulchres  are  with 
them  to  this  day.  The  ties  which  are  kept  unbroken  so 
long  must  needs  be  strong,  and  we  sjTnpathise  with  them 
in  their  present  great  loss.  Let  them  remember  that  when 
Christ  removes  the  Under  Shepherd,  it  is  that  he  may  be- 
come more  immediately  the  Great  Shepherd  and  Bishop 
of  their  souls.  Let  them  not  forget  to  follow  him  who 
has  followed  Christ,  and  been  taken  to  his  presence;  and 
remembering  his  words  to  them  while  yet  with  them,  let 
them  earnestly  strive  to  become  partakers  with  him  of 
like  precious  faith,  and  be  ready  to  enter  into  the  joy  of 
their  Lord." 

Here  follows  the  action  of  the  Session  of  Abington 
church  and  of  the  Second  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia : — 

"ABINGTON  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH." 

''At  a  meeting  of  the  session  of  the  Abington  Pres- 
byterian church,  on  the  9th  of  September,  1862,  the  fol- 
lowing resolutions  were  passed: 

WHEREAS,  It  has  pleased  God  to  remove  from  us  by 
death  our  beloved  pastor,  the  Rev.  Robert  Steel,  D.  D. 

RESOL^rED,  1.  That  in  this  appointment  of  Divine 
Providence  we  have  lost  a  friend  we  loved,  and  a  pastor 


56  HISTORY    OF 

whom  we  revered.  He  was  a  meek  and  humble  Chris- 
tian, a  sympathising,  benevolent,  warm-hearted,  and  true 
friend,  an  earnest  and  eloquent  advocate  of  the  truth,  and 
a  devoted  minister  of  Jesus,  who  made  it  his  study  to  live 
in  peace  with  all  men,  and  to  win  souls  to  Jesus  Christ. 

RESOLVED,  2.  That  we  record  our  gratitude  to 
God  for  his  long-continued  life,  his  consistent,  holy  walk, 
his  fidelity  and  success  as  a  minister  of  Christ,  for  his 
peaceful  death,  and  for  the  sweet  memories  he  has  left  be- 
hind him,  and  pray  that  the  blessing  of  his  life  and  the 
chastisement  of  his  death  may  alike  be  sanctified  to  us  all. 

RESOLVED,  3.  That  we,  as  a  session,  offer  our 
heartfelt  sympathy  to  his  bereaved  family  and  his  afflict- 
ed people  and  commit  them  in  faith  to  his  God  and  our 
God. 

RESOLVED,  4.  That  in  token  of  our  reverence  for 
his  worth  and  services,  we  request  the  Rev.  John  Gray,  D. 
D.,  his  long  and  intimate  friend,  and  now  the  oldest  mem- 
ber of  our  Presbytery,  to  prepare  and  preach  a  commem- 
orative discourse  at  his  earliest  convenience. 

RESOLVED,  5.  That  a  copy  of  this  minute  be  con- 
veyed to  the  family  of  our  deceased  pastor,  and  also  to 
the  '* Presbyterian"  for  publication. 

By  order  of  the  Session. 

C.  C.  BEATTY,  Clerk." 

RESOLUTION  OF  THE  SECOND  PRESBYTERY  OF 
PHILADELPHIA. 

With  reference  to  the  death  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Steel. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Second  Presbytery  of  Philadel- 
phia, at  Hartsville,  on  the  8th  of  October,  1862,  the  follow- 
ing minute  was  adopted,  viz. 

Presbytery  is  again  called  to  record,  with  sorrow,  the 
loss  of  its  most  aged  member,  in  the  death  of  the  Rev. 
Robert  Steel,  D.  D.,  pastor  of  the  church  at  Abington.  He 
died  at  Abington  on  Tuesday  morning,  September  2d,  in 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  57 

the  sixty-ninth  year  of  his  age,  and  in  the  forty-third  of 
his  pastorate.  He  was  born  in  the  North  of  Irekmd  in  the 
year  1794,  and  came  to  this  country  in  his  early  boyhood ; 
and  after  passing  through  a  preparatory  course  of  study 
in  Philadelphia,  and  a  collegiate  course  at  Princeton,  he 
pursued  his  theological  course  at  the  Seminary  of  Dr.  Ma- 
son, in  New  York,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  the  Gospel 
by  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia. 

He  laboured  in  Philadelphia  for  a  time  as  a  mission- 
ary, and  in  the  year  1819  was  ordained  and  installed  pas- 
tor of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Abington.  He  was  a 
worthy  successor  of  the  venerable  m,en  who  had  laboured 
before  him  in  that  ancient  church.  There  he  spent  his 
whole  pastoral  life;  and  he  lies  side  by  side  with  Malachi 
Jones,  Trent,  Tennent  and  Dunlap,  all  of  whom,  like  him- 
self, were  called  to  their  reward  at  the  close  of  a  long  per- 
iod of  service  in  the  same  field.  His  relations  to  this 
church,  as  indeed  to  the  whole  church,  were  always  of  the 
most  pleasing  character. 

As  a  Christian,  he  was  warm-hearted  and  generous, 
benevolent  and  forgiving,  earnest  and  zealous,  with  a 
heart  for  all  Christ's  people  and  all  Christ's  work.  As  a 
minister  of  the  gospel,  as  was  his  faith  so  was  his  preach- 
ing engrossed  with  Christ  and  his  great  salvation.  It 
was  scriptural,  earnest,  persuasive,  and  often  eloquent. 
He  was  instant  in  season  and  out  of  season,  reproving,  re- 
buking, exhorting,  with  all  long-suffering,  and  many 
prayers  and  tears.  As  a  member  of  this  Presbytery,  he 
was  pre-eminently  faithful,  ever  present  and  assiduous  in 
his  endeavors  to  advance  every  measure  that  seemed  to 
him  calculated  to  promote  the  success  of  the  cause  of 
Christ. 

He  was  peculiarly  distinguished  by  an  enlarged 
benevolence  which  characterized  him  in  all  his  relations, 
in  his  private  and  public  walks.  The  poor  and  the 
spiritually  destitute  were  alike  the  recipients  of  his  ap- 
propriate   beneficence,  and  many  a  feeble    church,  and 


S8   HISTORY  OF  ABINGTON  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 

needy  missionary,  and  many  a  struggling  candidate  for 
the  ministry,  will  long  bless  his  memory. 

His  death  was,  as  might  have  been  expected  from  his 
life,  serene  and  happy.  Among  his  last  words  were 
these  ''I  have  a  peace  which  passeth  all  understanding" 
and  in  the  enjoyment  of  that  blessed  peace  he  passed 
from  earth  to  Him  who  giveth  it. 

As  a  Presbytery  we  mourn  the  loss  of  his  presence 
among  us,  while  we  record  our  gratitude  to  God  for  his 
long-continued  happy  life  of  faith,  and  usefulness,  and 
love,  and  for  his  serene  and  peaceful  death. 

We  offer  to  his  beloved  family  the  assurance  of  our 
sincere  sympathy  with  them  in  their  sore  bereavement; 
and  for  his  afflicted  congregation,  our  prayers  that  his 
life  of  faith,  and  love,  and  effort,  may  continue  to  exert 
its  hallowed  influences  in  the  preservation  of  their  unity 
and  peace,  and  the  salvation  of  their  souls;  and  for  our- 
selves, we  pra}^  that  we  may  have  like  faith,  and  like  de- 
votion; and  when  the  Master  calls,  be  ready,  as  he  was, 
to  obey  the  last  summons  from  the  scene  of  our  earthly 
joys  and  labors." 

Dr.  Steele's  monument  contains  the  following  in- 
scription: 

Eev.  Robert  Steel,  D.  D. 
"Born  near  Londonderry,  Ireland 
Jan.  9,  1794  * 

Ordained  and  installed  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  of  Abington,  November  9,  1819. 

Slept  in  Jesus  Sept.  2nd,  1862 

' '  A  good  man  and  just. ' ' 

Erected  by  a  sorrowing  congregation. 

Blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord  from 
henceforth,  lea,  saitli  the  Spirit,  that  they  may  rest  from 
their  labors ;  And  their  works  do  follow  them. ' ' 


CHAPTER  VII. 
REV.  JOHN  L.  WITHROW.  1863-1868. 

Rev.  John  L.  Witlirow  was  elected  pastor,  March  16, 
1863  at  a  salary  of  $800,  with  use  of  parsonage  and  12 
acres  of  ground.  He  was  ordained  and  installed  pastor. 
May  21, 1863.  He  was  fresh  from  Princeton  Seminary, 
and  was  evidently  very  zealous.  In  less  than  a  year  from 
becoming  pastor,  we  find  this  Minute  of  the  Session,  Jan- 
uary 19,  1864:— 

''The  present  religious  condition  of  our  church  next 
engaged  the  attention  of  Session. 

A  strong  belief  was  expressed  that  growing  serious- 
ness was  plainly  manifest  and  that  we  should  indulge  an 
expecting  faith  that  the  Holy  Spirit  may  soon  operate 
with  reviving  and  quickening  power.  In  view  of  this  we 
resolve  to  have  the  Thursday,  February  18,  immediately 
preceding  our  next  Communion,  appointed  to  be  observed 
as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer  for  the  outpouring  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  upon  our  beloved  Zion. 

"^February  20,  1864,  "Last  Thursday,  18th  ultimo,  we 
spent  as  a  day  of  humiliation  and  prayer  for  our  church. 
It  was  a  solemn  and  we  hope  profitable  day  to  us  all.  The 
services  were  continued  on  Friday.  Much  solemnity  per- 
vades the  entire  church  and  congregation.  Several  are 
inquiring,  others  are  arrested  and  ready  to  ask  what  they 
must  do  to  be  saved. 

Our  prayer  is  that  it  may  be  the  little  cloud  that  shall 
overspread  the  whole  heavens." 

A  year  later,  February  18,  1865,  we  find  the  follow- 
ing:— 

''This  has  been  a  precious  sacramental  occasion.    Im- 

(59) 


60  HISTORY    OF 

pressions  were  made  wliicli  we  hope  may  never  be  effaced. 
Although  there  has  been  no  special  outpouring  of  God's 
Spirit,  such  as  the  church  and  the  whole  world  would  call 
a  revival;  still  the  people  of  God  seem  to  be  growing  in 
zeal  and  engagedness.  Many  have  said  that  they  begin 
to  find  that  religion  means  a  very  great  deal  more  than 
belonging  to  a  church. 

Our  members  are  praying,  and  God  is  answering,  be- 
fore we  call  and  while  we  speak.  He  hears,  to  His  excel- 
lent Name  be  the  glory. ' ' 

In  1904,  Dr.  Withrow,  then  in  Boston,  was  commun- 
icated with,  and  asked  for  his  recollections  of  Abington 
church.      They  are  submitted  herewith : 

MEMORIES  OF  THE  ABINGTON  PRESBYTERIAN 
CHURCH  IN  1863-1868. 

''The  memories  I  have  of  Abington  and  its  Presby- 
terian church  are  as  vivid  after  two  and  forty  years  as 
they  could  be  if  it  were  only  that  number  of  months  in- 
stead of  years  since  I  shared  its  life.  It  was  in  May 
1863  that  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  North  ordained 
and  installed  me  in  that  ancient  and  honored  church.  Rev. 
Robert  Steel,  D.  D.,  had  but  a  brief  time  before  finished 
a  pastorate  of  forty  years  and  passed  to  his  rest  and  re- 
ward. He  was  a  man  of  excellent  parts  and  very  highly 
esteemed  by  those  who  knew  him.  He  was  the  fifth  pas- 
tor of  the  Abington  Church;  and  the  bodies  of  all  the  five 
found  their  resting  place  in  the  old  graveyard  at  the  end 
of  their  service  there.  At  the  opening  of  my  ministry, 
the  Civil  war  was  at  its  worst.  The  Abington  Church 
had  a  large  percentage  of  sympathizers  with  the  South. 
It  was  a  day  of  difficulties  for  pastors  who  had  divided 
churches.  Many  good  ministers  lost,  first  their  influen- 
tial people  and  then  their  pulpits.  But  by  help  divine 
we  did  not  lose  a  single  family,  but  gained  adherents  con- 
tinually, although  no  Sunday  passed  without  prayer  be- 


REV.    JOHN    L.    WITHROW. 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  61 

ing  offered  by  me  for  the  success  of  our  arms  in  maintain- 
ing the  Union. 

To  this  day  it  affords  me  solid  pleasure  to  recall  the 
uncommonly  good  people  we  had  in  those  days :  the  Steels, 
Coltmans,  Manns,  the  Stewarts,  the  Harveys,  Shelmires, 
the  Hamels,  there  now,  I  should  not  have  indulged  in  the 
reminiscence  of  those,  because  other  dear  ones  are  as  de- 
serving of  mention.  Think  you  I  forgot  to  speak  of  Dr. 
Beatty?  Indeed  I  did  not.  He  was  the  sturdy  old  Ro- 
man of  them  all.  He  had  for  long  years  before,  a  habit 
of  napping  a  little  while  Dr.  Steel  was  preaching.  But 
when  I  started  in,  he  was  wide  awake  at  every  servic-e. 
Some  one  twitted  him,  asking  ' '  How  is  it  Doctor,  you  nev- 
er doze  in  church  now-a-daysf"  Well,  said  he,  when  it 
was  Dr.  Steel  I  felt  safe  in  trusting  him,  but  this  young 
fellow  will  bear  watching,  and  so  I  keep  after  him.  What 
a  man  of  fidelity  and  conviction  he  was  to  be 
sure.  When  he  had  something  to  do,  he  went 
on  to  do  it  until  it  until  it  was  horoughly  done.  The 
perseverance  of  the  Saints  in  good  work  was  a  fundamen- 
tal article  of  his  faith.  Here  is  an  illustration:  Many 
years  before  my  day  the  Sunday  schools  in  all  the 
churches  of  the  vicinage  formed  a  union,  and  this  Union 
held  quarterly  meetings.  At  first  they  were  popular  and 
profitable,  but  at  the  end  of  Dr.  Steel's  ministry  the  meet- 
ings were  so  neglected  that  almost  no  one  attended.  None 
the  less.  Dr.  Beatty  always  gave  me  a  written  notice  to 
give  from  the  pulpit.  For  a  few  times  I  forgot  to  go  my- 
self; but  mending  my  manners  and  putting  in  an  appear- 
ance, what  did  I  see  and  what  sort  of  a  meeting  was  it? 
There  were  just  three  of  us  in  evidence.  Dr.  B.,  Miss 
Mary  S.  and  myself.  Dr.  B's  voice  was  badly  off  with 
age.  Miss  B  's  voice  was  not  all  we  expect  to  hear  in  the 
world  of  angels,  and  yet  Dr.  B.  gave  out  a  hymn,  which 
we  mangled  rather  than  sung.  A  prayer  followed  and  a 
piece  of  scripture  was  read,  and,  would  you  believe  it,  the 
Doctor  announced  the  collection  and  carried  the  box  to 
Miss  Mary  and  me.      Then  we  tortured  another  hjTun.    I 


62  HISTORY    OF 

pronounced  the  benediction  and  we  went  home  smiling. 
But  dear  Dr.  Beatty  was  specially  serene  in  a  sense  of 
duty  done. 

The  building  of  a  new  church  structure  was  attended 
with  incidents  of  lasting  interest.  When  the  war  col- 
lapsed with  the  surrender  of  General  Lee  to  General 
Grant,  in  the  Spring  of  1865,  I  was  moved  to  agitate  the 
matter  of  replacing  the  old  barn-like  structure  we  had, 
with  a  more  sightly  and  suitable  church  building.  Well 
I  knew  how  much  most  of  the  people  were  attached  to  the 
ancient  and  ungainly  pile,  and  so,  instead  of  approaching 
the  thought  of  a  change  cautiously,  I  began  without  con- 
sulting any  one,  by  giving  out  for  a  Sunday  miorning  text : 
''Neh.  2:  is.  ''Let  Us  Rise  up  and  Build."  The  church 
people,  particularly  the  fathers  and  mothers,  were  too 
much  surprised  to  be  angry,  and  before  bad  feelings  had 
time  to  form  and  flame  up,  they  had  my  plan  before  them, 
and  that  they  afterwards  executed  in  detail.  More  than 
to  any  one  else,  I  have  always  given  Mr.  John  J.  C.  Har- 
vey the  credit  of  the  architectural  work.  His  ability  and 
excellent  taste  in  that  line  deserved  and  received  praise 
at  every  point.  To  myself  I  took  the  onerous  task  of  se- 
curing subscriptions  and  actually  did  obtain  all  that  was 
got  until  my  work  was  done,  and  I  was  removed  in  Sep- 
tember 1868  to  the  Arch  (above  10th)  street  church  in 
Philadelphia. ' ' 

The  minutes  of  Session  February  16,  1867  show  as 
follows ; 

' '  On  account  of  being  without  a  church  building  for 
several  months,  the  celebration  of  the  Lord's  Supper  has 
been  omitted.  In  August  we  attempted  it  in  the  Grove, 
but  were  dispersed  by  very  sudden  and  heavy  rain. 

Being  deprived  of  the  comfort  so  long,  our  people 
seemed  to  come  with  a  sharpened  appetite  for  the  feast. 
Of  the  six  who  joined  by  profession,  several  were  cases  of 
great  interest,  especially  that  of  John  M.  Fenton,  the 
President  of  our  Board  of  Trustees.       Treasurer  of  our 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  63 

Building  Committee,  a  man  whose  influence  is  great  and 
growing  and  of  wliom  the  opinion  had  become  settled  that 
he  never  would  acknowledge  Christ.  He  came  as  a  little 
child." 

The  contract  for  building  the  new  church  was  award- 
ed to  William  Hallowell  January  22, 1866  for  $15,300. 

February  22,  1868:  The  minutes  of  the  Session  show 
25  persons  admitted  on  profession. 

"Of  these,  12  received  the  sacrament  of  baptism;  six- 
teen are  heads  of  families ;  three  have  attained  the  age  of 
three  score  and  (nearly)  ten;  and  one  is  a  dear  lamb  of 
Jesus  fold,  Sallie  Coltman  aged  9  years.  She  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  a  most  godly  mother,  and  has  had  a  desire  for  the 
last  two  years  to  confess  Christ." 

Mr.  Withrow  resigned  November  25th,  1868  and  went 
to  the  Arch  street  Presbyterian  church  in  Philadelphia. 

From  Captain  W.  W.  Wallace  we  obtained  valuable 
information  of  Mr.  Withrow 's  strenuous  efforts  in  build- 
ing the  new  church.  The  following  letter  explains  the 
situation  at  that  time : 

"Abington,  Pa.,  18th  January,  1867. 

Wm.  W.  Wallace,  Esq. 
My  Dear  Sir:— 

Your  generous  interest  and  voluntary,  noble  proposal 
yesterday  broke  like  sunlight  through  the  cloud  of  dark- 
ness which  was  upon  me.  As  intimated,  and  to  an  extent 
which  it  was  not  proper  to  intimate  there,  this  enterprise 
has  been  all  on  my  own  shoulders.  Our  people  were  not 
opposed,  but  afraid.  Had  I  not  gone  forward,  the  point 
would  have  had  to  be  given  up.  We  have  full  as  many  at 
a  Wednesday  eve  prayer  meeting  in  the  summer  nights  as 
there  was  for  a  morning  congregation  when  I  came  in 
1863,  simply  because  the  community  see  a  determination 
to  go  on,  and  yet  the  vast  majority  are  small  farmers  who 
rent  their  farms.  We  have  not  a  man  in  our  church  who 
by  any  forcing  of  terms  could  be  called  rich.  The  people 
have  given  nobly.      Beholders  admit  this.      Trusting  in 


64  HISTORY    OF 

God,  giving  myself  up  to  the  work,  soul,  body  and  purse,  the 
thing  has  gone  on  to  this  day. 

You  saw  how  beautiful  a  little  church  we  have.  All 
we  need  to  put  us  in  such  condition  as  to  pay  our  expenses 
and  prosper,  is,  that  about  five  thousand  be  made  up  with- 
in one  year.  Our  friends  are  coming  to  our  help  nobly. 
All  the  hope  I  have  is  in  the  Good  Master  disposing 
friends  favorably.  If  He  does,  and  they  give,  He  will 
abundantly  reward  them. 

Without  any  other  than  the  most  profound  and  hon- 
est convictions,  I  am  free  to  say  that  he  who  will  take  this 
church  to  heart  and  help  release  it  from  embarrassment, 
will  be  doing  a  great  work  for  God  and  coming  genera- 
tions. 

It  cheered  me  to  meet  a  friend  in  yourself.  Of  course 
you  promised  no  figures.  I  well  understand  that.  But 
with  the  feelings  you  had  there  yesterday,  I  will  be  confi- 
dent that,  with  the  blessing  of  God,  you  will  do  something 
that  will  make  this  heart  leap  with  joy! 

As  I  tell  my  friends,  this  is  not  my  church.  I  may  be 
here  but  for  a  little  while,  and  yet,  for  this  church's  sake, 
for  the  great  good  in  time  to  come  (although  m}^  salary 
has  been  but  $800  until  the  last  year),  I  have  worked  day 
and  night  and  have  laid  four  hundred  dollars  on  its  altar, 
although  I  have  nothing  but  my  salary  to  live  upon.  This 
allows  me  to  state  simply  to  show  friends  that  I  am  not 
striving  to  get  them  to  do  what  I  myself  am  reluctant  to 
undertake. 

May  God  prosper  you,  my  Brother,  so  that  His  Saints 
may  bless  you  and  your  heavenly  reward  be  increased. 

At  your  next  visit  to  Abington  we  crave  the  pleasure 
of  a  visit. 

Very  sincerely  yours, 

J.  L.  WITHROW." 

In  a  letter  dated  April  5,  1882  Dr.  Withrow  writes 
Oaptain  Wallace: — 

' '  Let  me  once  more  say  I  can  never  forget  the  favor 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  65 

you  did  me  and  the  cheer  j^ou  gave  me  in  that  wintry  day 
in  1866.      The  memory  of  it  withers  not. ' ' 

"The  Interior"  a  Presbyterian  paper  published  in 
Chicago  has  the  following  notice  in  its  issue  of  September 
30,  1909.  "Dr.  John  Lindsay  Withrow,  who  died  at 
Brookline,  Mass.,  September  24,  in  his  seventy-second 
year,  was  pastor  of  Third  church  in  Chicago  from  1887  to 
1898.  He  was  held  in  affectionate  regard  by  his  parish- 
ioners and  his  occasional  returns  to  his  old  pulpit  always 
brought  him  warm  welcomes.  The  services  at  the  church 
last  Sunday  were  marked  by  tender  references  to  him  and 
to  his  valuable  work  in  that  congregation.  Dr.  U.  D. 
Hardin,  the  present  pastor  spoke  appreciative  words 
which  awoke  a  sympathetic  response  from  his  hearers. ' ' 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
REV.  SAMUEL  T.  LOWRIE,  1869-1874. 

Rev.  Samuel  T.  Lowrie  was  elected  pastor  March  11, 
1869,  and  was  installed  May  27,  1869. 

"He  had  the  advantages  of  a  thorough  classical  and 
theological  education  at  Miami  University  and  the  West- 
ern Theological  Seminary,  and  the  additional  advantage 
of  extensive  travel.  Before  coming  here  he  had  also  ac- 
quired much  practical  knowledge  of  ministerial  duties, 
both  at  Alexandria,  Pa.,  and  at  the  Bethany  Mission, 
Philadelphia. ' ' 

Mr.  Lowrie  revived  the  Sunday  school  at  Jenkintown, 
started  originally  in  Dr.  Steel's  time.  The  effort  was 
continued  for  a  year;  then  Mr.  John  Wanamaker  present- 
ed the  costly  and  beautiful  chapel  that  has  done  so  much 
to  secure  permanency  and  comfort  to  the  school  and  schol- 
ars. It  stands  there  as  a  memorial  of  a  loved  daughter 
whose  precious  memory  it  will  perpetuate." 

The  foregoing  quotation  is  from  Rev.  Leighton  W. 
Eckard's  historical  discourse  August  30,  1876. 

The  following  history  of  this  school  is  here  inserted: 

HISTORY  OF  "GRACE  PRESBYTERIAN  SABBATH 
SCHOOL,"  JENKINTOWN,  PA..  1869  TO  1906. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Sabbath-School  Association  of 
the  (Jrace  Presbyterian  Church  of  Jenkintoicn,  Pa.,  some  few 
months  ago  the  question  of  **How  and  when  the  school 
was  organized"  was  raised  by  some  of  those  present,  and 
the  following  facts  bearing  on  the  subject  have  been  gath- 

(66) 


REV.   SAMUEL   T.   LOWRIE. 


HISTORY  OF  ABINGTON  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH      6T 

ered  by  Mr.  George  Hamel,  Jr.,  tlie  present  Superinten- 
dent of  the  school: — 

Thirty-seven  years,  the  time  since  the  school  was  or- 
ganized, has  elapsed.  It  seems  but  a  short  time,  but  who 
can  look  forward  for  a  like  period — with  any  certainty,  or 
without  a  feeling  of  fear? 

At  the  request  of  Mr.  Hamel,  the  Rev.  Samuel  T. 
Lowrie,  then  pastor  of  Abington  Presbyterian  Church,  the 
Mother  Church,  has  furnished  the  following  data  from  his 
personal  diary,  which  seems  to  be  the  only  record  of  the 
event,  interesting  himself  at  some  length  to  do  so. 

Many  people  seem  to  look  upon  Friday  with  a  great 
deal  of  superstition,  thinking  it  the  most  unlucky  day 
upon  which  to  begin  or  do  any  work  of  importance,  yet  on 
Friday  evening,  July  9th,  1869,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Sab- 
bath school  teachers  of  the  Abington  church  at  that  time 
a  weekly  meeting,  there  were  present  eighteen  persons. 
Mr.  Lowrie  suggested  the  starting  of  a  school  at  Jenkin- 
town,  and  it  met  with  favorable  consideration,  the  result 
being  that  on  ^^niidai/^  July  25th,  1869,  at  2.30  p.  m.,  a 
meeting  was  held  in  what  was  known  as  the  Lyceum 
building,  which  is  just  north  of  the  present  church  prop- 
erty in  Jenkintown,  and  a  Sabbath  school  was  organized 
by  Mr.  Lowrie.  There  were  present  on  that  occasion 
eighteen  people  who  constituted  the  school,  besides  a  few 
others  as  visitors,  at  which  time  Mr.  Lowrie  says  he  took 
encouragement  from  reading  and  speaking  from  Luke  5 : 
1-11,  ' '  The  miraculous  cast  of  the  net. ' '  At  the  close  of 
the  school  he  gave  cards  and  mementoes  to  the  children 
and  all  the  teachers  present.  Mrs.  J.  J.  C.  Harvey  (Mr. 
Harvey  being  ill).  Miss  Annie  DuBree,  Mrs.  Lowrie,  Miss 
Mary  Wigfall,  Mr.  John  B.  Stevenson  and  Dr.  Beatty. 
Mrs.  Lowrie,  Mrs.  Harvey  and  Miss  DuBree  he  counted  as 
teachers. 

One  very  interesting  item  is,  that  the  record  of  the 
names  of  the  children  present  on  that  first  day  of  meeting,, 
has  been  kept,  and  is : 


68  HISTORY    OF 

Lizzie  Myers,  Christiana  Myers,  Eddy  Myers,  Mary 
Myers,  Lucy  Warwick,  Eliza  Robinson,  David  Robinson, 
Annie  Robinson,  Douglas  Robinson,  Mary  Robinson,  Caro- 
line "Weiss,  Lena  Weiss,  Mary  Weiss,  Frank  Weiss,  Miss 
Nice,  Tliomas  Wanamaker,  Rodman  Wanamaker,  Caleb 
Fox,  Spencer  Ervin. 

There  were  present  besides,  several  yonng  men  from 
Abington,  with  a  Mr.  Thomas,  who  may  also  be  counted 
as  part  of  the  school;  Mr.  Lewis  Trout  was  appointed  to 
have  charge  of  opening  the  building. 

Looking  backward  over  the  years  we  find  that  within 
those  old  walls  of  the  Lyceum  has  met,  at  different  times 
the  nucleus  of  each  of  the  different  churches  which  have 
been  started  in  this  town,  and  we  wonder  did  those  first 
scholars  of  this  ^'Grace  School''  ever  think  what  an  impor- 
tant part  they  were  playing  in  that  new  organization 
which  was  destined  to  develop  later  into  a  church,  sep- 
arate and  distinct  from  the  parent  body  "the  old  Abing- 
ton Church,"  and  yet,  in  looking  over  the  first  list  of 
scholars,  we  find  that  not  one  of  them  is  at  present  iden- 
tified with  the  school. 

In  commenting  on  the  occasion  Mr.  Lowrie  says: 
'  *  Some  of  the  children  were  more  thorough  than  I  was,  for 
they  brought  pennies  (six  of  them),"  yet  we  are  inclined 
to  think  that  he  showed  discretion  in  not  asking  for  any 
collection  at  that  first  meeting,  for  as  the  love  of  God  fills 
the  heart,  so  will  the  desire  to  give  to  His  cause,  also  in- 
crease. 

Friday  evening,  July  30th,  1869,  a  teachers'  meeting 
was  held  at  Ah'mgton  Church,  with  fourteen  members  pres- 
ent. A  committee  was  appointed  for  the  Sunday  School 
Anniversary,  to  be  held  on  Thursday,  August  26th,  1869;, 
this  committee  was  composed  of  two  members  from  each 
of  the  schools  of  Abington,  Willoio  Grove,  Fitzwatertown  and 
Jenkintoicn. 

From  Mr.  John  Hunter,  of  Abington,  we  learn  that. 
Mr.  John    Wanamaker    was    Superintendent,  Mr.  John, 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  69 

Hunter,  Associate,  Spencer  Ervin,  Organist  and  Li- 
brarian, and  Robert  Leedom,  Secretary. 

On  Sunday,  August  1st,  1869,  the  school  was  graded, 
forming  an  Infant  Class  and  three  others.  There  were 
present  twenty-four  scholars  and  four  teachers.  Mr. 
Lowrie  was  given  a  class  of  grown  men,  Miss  Annie  Du- 
Bree  the  Infant  Class,  Mrs.  Wanamaker  a  class  of  boys, 
and  Miss  Mary  Wigfall  a  class  of  girls,  all  of  them  being 
very  much  encouraged  with  the  school. 

On  Sunday,  August  8th,  1869,  the  school  opened  at 
2.30  p.  m.  with  twenty-eight  present,  there  being  no  rec- 
ord of  the  other  Sundays  of  the  month.  It  was  noted 
that  the  room  in  which  they  met  was  much  improved  in 
appearance,  as  it  had  been  cleaned  and  painted,  showing 
a  desire  for  a  bright  and  cheerful  surroundings  for  the 
new  venture. 

The  need  and  importance  of  such  a  work  could  not  be 
more  emphasized  than  by  the  events  which  rapidly  fol- 
lowed, as  may  be  seen  by  the  record. 

On  Thursday,  September  9th,  1869,  a  prayer  meeting 
was  started  in  the  old  Lyceum  building,  in  charge  of  Mr. 
John  Wanamaker,  and  at  that  first  meeting  there  were 
thirty-five  present.  Dr.  Lowrie  was  unable  to  be  pres- 
ent, and  Mr.  Wanamaker  could  get  no  one  to  take  any 
part  in  the  meeting,  but  a  Mr.  Parvin,  a  young  man  who 
had  come  with  him.  The  Parvins  formerly  resided  at 
Ogontz  and  attended  the  Episcopalian  Church  there.  One 
of  the  sons  studied  for  the  ministry,  and  probably  this 
was  the  one  to  whom  Dr.  Lowrie  referred.  He  further 
records  that  he  went  to  Jenkintown,  Thursday  evening, 
September  16th,  1869,  and  the  attendance  was  fifty-three, 
Mr.  Wanamaker  being  present,  and  both  prayed  and 
spoke  in  the  service.  The  record  continues: — "I  was 
surprised  at  the  attendance  and  wonder  to  what  it  will 
lead." 

On  Sunday,  September  12th,  1869,  they  had  an  inter- 
esting time  at  the  old  building.      The  school  opened  with 


70  HISTORY    OF 

a  large  attendance,  some  of  the  very  ones  Dr.  Lowrie  de- 
sired to  see  there  being  present,  but  neither  he  nor  Mrs. 
Lowrie  were  there,  on  account  of  a  sick  son,  Mrs.  Wana- 
maker  also  being  quite  ill.  Mr.  Hunter,  the  Superinten- 
dent, being  new  to  the  position,  perhaps  did  not  take  as 
much  advantage  of  the  opportunity  as  the  others  might 
have  done.  Dr.  Lowrie  says,  "I  see  plain  signs  of  a  good 
Sabbath  school ;  I  expect  the  best  in  Jenkintown. ' ' 

In  passing,  it  would  be  but  fair  to  state  at  this  time 
that  Mr.  Hunter  was  a  very  young  man,  without  any  of 
the  experience  which  he  afterwards  gained,  for  he  was 
later  elected  as  Superintendent  of  the  Abington  school 
and  held  that  position  until  about  a  year  ago. 

On  Sunday,  September  19th,  1869,  they  were  full  of 
encouragement  with  the  school  at  Jenkintown.  There 
were  present  41  scholars  and  7  teachers,  but  complaint 
was  made  of  too  few  papers  for  the  scholars;  the  record 
says : — ' '  Mr.  John  Hunter  promises  well  as  a  Superinten- 
dent, and  Spencer  Ervin  as  an  organist. ' '  Mr.  Ervin  has 
since  deceased. 

A  paper  received  from  Mr.  Hunter,  the  former  Super- 
intendent, affords  some  interesting  information,  but  gives 
only  one  date,  that  of  the  organization  of  the  school.  It 
states : — 

*'The  school  has  steadily  increased  in  numbers  and 
interest,  and  we  feel  encouraged  to  work  and  labor,  more 
and  more.  We  now  have  about  110  names  on  the  roll, 
with  from  60  to  70  in  regular  attendance.  These  schol- 
ars form  seven  classes,  the  teachers  of  which  are  always 
present  or  have  sent  substitutes,  almost  without  excep- 
tion. The  seven  classes  are  called  *' bands"  and  on  the 
third  Sunday  of  each  month,  hand  in  the  collection  for  the 
month,  for  missionary  and  other  purposes. 

A  melodeon  was  presented  to  the  school  by  the  Beth- 
any Sabbath  school  of  Philadelphia,  which  proved  to  be  of 
great  pleasure  and  profit  to  the  school,  much  of  the  inter- 
est in  the  school,  being  due  to  its  use  and  aiding  the  child- 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  71 

ren  in  their  singing.  This  instrument  remained  in  the 
school  until  a  few  years  ago  when  it  was  given  away. 

All  the  money  now,  that  we  can  raise,  we  expect  to 
appropriate  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  new  building,  a 
real  home  of  our  own  is  what  we  earnestly  desire. ' ' 

At  the  time  this  was  written  the  school  was  still  hold- 
ing its  services  in  the  old  Lyceum  building. 

**  Seven  members  of  the  school  and  prayer  meeting, 
during  the  year  past  have  united  with  the  church,  which 
great  blessing  encourages  us  in  our  belief  that  God  has 
chosen  this  place  as  a  home,  where  He  will  come  to  supply 
the  wants  of  all  who  are  needy. ' ' 

Throughout  this  paper  the  name  of  Dr.  Lowrie  ap- 
pears frequently,  but  as  the  only  record  of  these  events 
here  set  forth  happens  to  be  the  personal  diary  of  Dr. 
Lowrie,  this  feature  may  well  be  excused. 

Compiled  by  George  Hamel,  Jr.,  Jenkintown,  Pa.,  in 
1906,  being  then  Superintendent  of  the  Grace  Presby- 
terian Sabbath  school. 

The  following  extract  from  Minutes  of  Session: — 

' 'January  19, 1871 :  The  Pastor  announced  that  John 
Wanamaker  had  requested  him  to  join  him  in  a  trip  to 
Europe  for  three  months,  to  sail  on  the  12th  of  July;  that 
in  his  judgment  the  condition  of  the  congregation  and  of 
his  family  allowed  of  his  taking  that  recreation  and  seek- 
ing the  profit  that  might  be  gained  by  such  a  tour. 

Further  he  proposed  to  be  responsible  for  the  supply 
of  his  pulpit  during  that  time — while  the  prayer  meetings 
and  Sunday  schools  he  would  request  them  and  others  to 
care  for. 

After  conversation,  the  Session  cordially  and  unani- 
mously consented  to  the  arrangement,  promising  to  be 
diligent  in  their  parts  and  that  they  would  follow  their 
pastor  with  prayers  for  his  prosperity. ' ' 

In  June  1904  Dr.  Lowrie  wrote  the  following  remin- 
iscences : 

**The  institution  of  an  Historical  Society  connected 


72  HISTORY    OF 

with  the  Ahington  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  jou  in- 
form me,  is  a  very  exemplary  movement.  As  you  intimate 
that  a  communication  from  me  of  some  memories  of  my 
pastoral  connection  with  that  church  will  promote  that 
object,  I  take  pleasure  in  noting  down  the  following: 

I  first  saw  that  suburban  region  of  Philadelphia  July 
17,  1868,  when  I  was  a  guest  for  a  few  days  of  Mr.  John 
Wanamaker.  The  Rev.  J.  L.  Withrow  was  then  pastor 
of  the  Abington  Church,  and  on  July  19  I  worshipped 
there  and  heard  him  preach.  I  was  at  that  time  pastor  of 
Bethany  Presbyterian  church  in  Philadelphia.  On  Novem- 
ber 8  following,  Mr.  Withrow  and  I  exchanged  pulpits. 
Very  soon  after  that  he  became  pastor  of  the  Arch  Street 
Presbyterian  Church.  On  March  11,  1869,  the  Abington 
Church  extended  me  a  call  to  be  their  pastor,  and  on  Sab- 
bath April  25  following  I  began  my  ministry  there.  On 
Monday  May  3,  thirteen  wagons  out  of  the  congregation 
gathered  at  the  S.  E.  corner  of  22d  and  Pine  streets,  Phila- 
delphia, where  I  had  been  living,  and  quicker  than  I  could 
direct  details  of  delivery,  took  all  of  my  stuff  and  bore  it 
off  to  Abington,  without  cost  to  me,  where  it  was  soon  dis- 
posed of  in  the  Parsonage,  the  same  that  still  stands. 

My  Installation  by  Presbytery  (at  that  time  the  Sec- 
ond Presbytery  of  Philadelphia — "Old  School")  was  by  a 
committee,  and  occurred  Thursday  10.30  a.  m.  May  27, 
1869.  The  day  was  rainy.  In  the  absence  of  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Davis,  Moderator,  Dr.  Thos.  Murphy,  of  Frankford, 
presided;  Dr.  R.  Owen,  of  Chestnut  Hill,  preached  the 
sermon.  Dr.  Murphy  gave  the  charge  to  the  Pastor,  and 
the  Rev.  Miller  Woods  of  Hartsville,  the  charge  to  the 
people. 

The  enterprising  ministry  of  Dr.  Withrow  left  a 
method  of  pastoral  work  that  exacted  much  diligence  on 
my  part  to  maintain.  There  were  three  outposts  where 
afternoon  preaching  was  done,  viz:  Fox  Chase,  Willow 
Grove  and  Fitzwatertown,  and  at  the  last  two  named  Sab- 
bath Schools  were  maintained  in  the  summer.      All  the 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  73 

adjacent  region  was  comprised  in  the  Parish.  Robert 
Barnes  lived  at  Fox  Chase.  He  and  Dr.  Beatty  and 
George  Y.  Mann  composed  the  Session  of  Abington 
Church  at  that  time.  Mr.  Barnes  died  October  3,  1869, 
having  been  44  years  a  Member  of  the  Session.  For  more 
than  five  years  he  and  his  sister  who  survived  him  were 
the  only  surviving  members  of  the  Church  as  that  mem- 
bership was  when  the  Rev.  Dr.  Steel  became  its  pastor. 

The  members  and  adherents  of  Abington  Church  that 
lived  at  or  near  Fox  Chase  were  few.  The  next  regular 
occasion  of  my  preaching  there  after  the  death  of  Mr. 
Barnes  was  October  17th,  1869,  and  it  was  made  the  final 
one.  This  had  become  the  more  expedient  because  Jenk- 
intown,  which  was  so  much  nearer  the  Church  on  the 
same  side  of  the  parish,  had  been  rapidly  growing,  and 
comprised  many  families  of  the  congregation. 

On  Sabbath,  July  25,  1869,  a  Sabbath  School  was  in- 
stituted in  the  old  Lyceum  of  Jenkintown,  a  building  that 
was  then  much  decayed.  It  began  with  eighteen  schol- 
ars and  three  teachers,  two  of  the  teachers  being  Mrs. 
Lowrie  and  Miss  Annie  DuBree,  now  Mrs.  John  Hunter. 
On  Thursday  evening,  September  9,  1869,  the  weekly 
prayer  meeting  was  begun  in  the  same  place,  in  charge 
of  Mr.  John  Wanamaker.  Very  soon  after  this,  Jenkin- 
town became  one  of  the  regular  places  for  the  pastor  to 
preach  once  a  month  in  the  evening,  taking  the  place  of 
the  monthly  afternoon  preaching  at  Fox  Chase.  But  the 
work  there  speedily  enlisted  so  many  that  services  were 
held  every  Sabbath  evening.  For  the  evenings  when  it 
was  not  the  pastor's  regTilar  work,  leaders  for  these  meet- 
ings were  found  partly  in  the  congregation,  but  more  gen- 
erally in  Philadelphia,  and  chiefly  by  Mr.  Wanamaker 's 
help,  he  himself  being  often  the  leader,  not  only  when  liv- 
ing near,  but  also  in  winter  when  he  lived  in  the  city.  This 
way  of  providing  for  those  meetings  was  continued  as 
long  as  I  was  pastor.  Not  long  after  the  Jenkintown  Sab- 
bath School  was  started,  Mr.  John  Hunter  became  its  Su- 


74  HISTORY    OF 

perintendent;  this,  I  think,  was  September  11,  1869.  He 
and  Mrs.  Albert  Mann,  George  S.  Yerkes,  and  our  summer 
friend,  John  B.  Stevenson,  were  those  of  the  congregation 
that  were  most  helpful  in  the  evening  meetings.  Of  those 
from  the  city  I  will  mention  particularly  Capt.  Nicholas 
Baggs,  because  he  has  long  been  a  member  of  Abington 
Church,  having  taken  up  his  residence  in  Abington  some 
years  after  I  left.  The  meetings  of  both  Thursday  and 
Sabbath  evenings  in  Jenkintown  were  often  favored  by 
his  helpful  presence.  An  interesting  occasion  demonstrat- 
ed the  fidelity  with  which  he  kept  his  promise  to  be  there. 
It  was  Sabbath,  November  3, 1872,  when  Epizoot  incapac- 
itated all  horses  in  city  and  country,  and  no  horse  cars 
were  running.  To  meet  his  appointment  in  Jenkintown, 
Capt.  Baggs  walked  from  Grace  Mission,  22nd  and  Fed- 
eral streets,  to  the  Berks  Street  R.  R.  station.  Having 
mentioned  the  epizoot,  I  may  go  on  to  say,  that  at  the 
same  date,  Mr.  John  B.  Stevenson's  horse  and  my  horse, 
Don,  were  the  only  ones  in  and  about  Abington  that  had 
escaped  the  disease.  But  by  November  12  my  horse  was 
alone  exempt,  and  he  never  took  the  disease.  For  a  little 
while  Mrs.  Lowrie,  who  drove  him  almost  daily  to  Jenkin- 
town or  through  it  on  her  errands,  volunteered  to  carry 
the  mail  destined  for  Abington. 

It  was  a  day  in  August  22-24,  1870,  when  Mr.  Wana- 
maker  and  I  were  spending  a  day  on  Lake  Hopatcong,  N. 
J.,  that  he  proposed  that  if  the  Abington  church  would 
get  a  suitable  lot  on  the  York  road  at  Jenkintown,  he 
would  at  his  own  cost,  erect  on  it  a  good  Sunday  school 
building.  I  very  readily  undertook  the  matter  of  the  lot, 
and  supposed  that  it  would  be  easy  to  get  one  just  where 
we  both  thought  it  was  most  desirable  to  find  one,  viz. 
close  to  the  village  on  the  south  side.  On  that  side,  how- 
ever, nothing  could  be  gotten  at  a  price  that  seemed  pos- 
sible for  the  church  to  pay.  Only  when  at  last  convinced  of 
that,  was  the  present  site  of  Grace  church  bought,  which 
was  all  that  was  available.      That  lot  was  bought  Decern- 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  75 

ber  17, 1870.  It  was  not  until  May  7, 1871  that  the  mon- 
ey was  subscribed  and  collected  to  pay  for  it.  On  that 
date  payment  in  full  was  made,  and  title  to  the  lot  obtain- 
ed. 

Meanwhile,  on  Mr.  Wanamaker's  part,  the  idea  of  the 
building  he  would  erect  took  on  a  costlier  character.  His 
infant  daughter,  Harriet  died  October  27, 1870,  which  was 
just  two  months  after  our  agreement  was  made  about  this 
enteiprise.  Our  Jenkintown  Sunday  school  was  the  sum- 
mer school  of  that  gracious  child,  in  which  she  showed 
great  delight,  and  was  a  member  of  its  infant  class.  Mr. 
Wanamaker  resolved  to  make  the  promised  building  an 
offering,  memorial  of  her.  The  cornerstone  of  what  was 
then  called  Jenkintown  chapel  was  laid  July  7,  1871. 

Mr.  John  J.  C.  Harvey  superintended  the  work  of 
building  and  bore  the  brunt  of  all  the  trouble  attending 
that.  It  was  not  until  September  5, 1872,  that  the  finish- 
ed structure  was  dedicated.  The  chief  cause,  however, 
was  a  modification  of  the  building.  It  was  nearly  finish- 
ed in  May  1872,  with  its  south  wall  a  plane  parallel  to  the 
north  wall.  The  interior  effect  was  bad  for  light,  and 
the  pulpit  encroached  too  much  on  the  floor  room.  Mr. 
Wanamaker  therefore  had  that  south  end  modified,  tear- 
ing down  the  existing  wall,  and  building  the  recessed  ex- 
tension with  its  three  large  windows  as  the  same  appear 
at  this  day. 

On  Sabbath,  September  8,  1872,  the  Sabbath  school 
assembled  for  the  last  time  in  the  Jenkintown  Lyceum 
"numbering  now  165,  with  Mr.  Hunter  and  his  teachers, 
and  after  singing  and  prayer  of  thanksgiving  for  mercies 
enjoyed  there,  marched  out  in  procession  and  took  posses- 
sion of  their  new  quarters.  There  Mr.  Wanamaker  took 
the  lead  and  taught  a  lesson  from  the  blackboard,  the  les- 
son being  all  about  Jesus." 

The  Willow  Grove  outpost  appeared  from  the  very 
first  of  my  ministry  in  Abington  until  the  end,  a  very 
promising  region  of  spiritual  labor.      The  Sabbath  school, 


76  HISTORY    OF 

held  in  summer  was  superintended  by  Mr.  Albert  R.  Mann 
and  lie  and  Mr.  William  T.  Yerkes,  with  their  families, 
were  the  main  support  of  the  Sabbath  school  and  of  the 
preaching  services.  The  Sabbath  school  was  good  in  num- 
bers and  enthusiastic  in  song,  and  from  it  came  goodly  ac- 
cessions to  the  full  communion  of  the  church.    It  was  held 
in  the  public  school,  as  were  also  the  monthly  afternoon 
preaching  services.      The    attendance  on  the  latter  of 
others  beside  the  Sabbath  school  was  generally  good,  and 
sometimes  surprisingly  large,  especially  at  evening  meet- 
ings that  were  sometimes  held  every  night  for  a  week.    It 
was  always  a  pleasure  to  preach  there ;  the  interested  and 
serious  manner  of  the  hearers  always  encouraged  the 
hope  that  some  must  be  drawn  to  Christ.      But  there  were 
very  few  of  the  locality  that  were  manifested  to  be  such. 
The  accessions  to  the  church  from  the  Sabbath  school 
there  were  from  families  like  the  Mann  and  Yerkes  fam- 
ilies that  went  there  to  make  and  keep  going  the  fire  of 
faith  and  religion.     It  seemed  good  to  believe  that  better 
things  must  appear  if  only  more  were  done.      The  Session 
•of  Abington  church  at  length  entertained  a  purpose  of 
having  a  chapel  there  as  at  Jenkintown.      This  proceed- 
ed so  far  that  on  April  22, 1873,  Squire  Bockius  and  I  met 
Sheriff  Jeremiah  Larzelere  and  his  brother,  John  Larze- 
lere  by  appointment  at  Willow  Grove,  to  consider  an  offer 
of  Sheriff's  to  give  a  suitable  lot  of  ground  on  condition 
that  a  convenient  and  attractive  house  of  worship  would 
be  erected  on  it  by  the  Abington  church.      At  that  time  a 
site  was  actually  agreed  on,  and  promptly  thereafter  a  be- 
ginning was  made  of  collections  of  money  for  the  building 
by  mite  boxes  distributed  among  the  scholars  of  Willow 
Grove  Sabbath  school.     The  thing  was  of  course  not  to  be 
achieved  in  a  year,  but  by  the  time  a  year  had  elapsed  I 
was  called  away  from  Abington.      The  project  never  rip- 
ened.     Eventually  a  M.  E.  church  was  built  near  the  site 
we  had  agreed  on.      The  Lord  show  them  favor  and  cause 
them  to  do  more  than  we  even  could  then  imagine  might 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  77 

be  done.  Which  well  might  happen,  seeing  what  Willow 
Grove  has  since  become  in  material  respects.  Had  a  Pres- 
byterian Church  been  planted  there  in  my  time  and 
flourished  in  grace,  the  development  there  would  likely 
have  been  different  from  what  it  has  been.  The  rural 
cemetery  might  have  come,  but  the  popular  park  might 
not.  Many  will  think  the  park  without  a  good  Presby- 
terian Church  a  greater  benefit  than  a  good  Presbyterian 
Church  without  the  park.  I  think  just  the  other  way. 
There  will  always  be  just  such  difference  in  what  men 
think. 

The  Fitzwatertown  Sunday  School  was  conducted 
only  in  the  summer  months,  and  by  Mr.  Henry  Stewart 
and  his  sisters,  whose  persevering  labors  on  a  spot  so  dis- 
tant from  their  homes  was  most  praiseworthy.  I  found 
an  afternoon  preaching  service  once  a  month  to  be  part  of 
my  pastoral  duty;  but  only  in  summer  and  in  connection 
with  the  Sunday  school.  My  first  service  there  was  on 
June  6,  1869.  The  S.  School  was  continued  there  during 
the  summers  of  1871-72,  the  last  meeting  occurring  Sab- 
bath, October  27, 1872.  It  was  not  again  resumed.  The 
scholars  were  few,  and  few  beside  them  attended  the 
preaching  services.  The  locality  lay  quite  beyond  the 
remotest  families  that  attended  Abington  Church. 

Meanwhile  Edge  Hill  Village  had  been  growing  and 
presented  an  inviting  field  nearer  the  church,  and  with 
many  church  families  nearby,  and  especially  that  of  Mr. 
George  Hamel,  that  was  well  able  to  sustain  and  direct  a 
work  there. 

A  beginning  of  religious  work  by  Abington  Church 
in  Edge  Hill  Village  was  made  Sabbath,  October  6,  1872, 
at  3  o'clock  p.  m.,  by  a  preaching  service  held  in  the  hall 
owned  by  Mr.  Wood,  who  gave  its  use  for  that  and  for  S. 
School  purposes  free  of  charge.  * '  Mr.  John  B.  Stevenson 
drove  me  over  there.  About  seventy  (70)  persons  had 
collected;  about  10  of  our  own  church  people,  and  8  from 
the  Flourtown  Presbyterian  Church,  3  of  these  being  El- 


78  HISTORY    OF 

ders  of  that  Churcli  having  their  wives  along.  Mr.  George 
Hamel  was  the  Elder  of  our  Church  present. ' ' 

The  following  Sabbath,  October  13th,  the  S.  School 
was  started  in  the  same  place,  with  Mr.  George  Hamel, 
Elder,  as  its  superintendent,  and  12  scholars,  6  of  whom 
were  Protestant  families,  and  6  of  Roman  Catholic  fam- 
ilies. The  following  Tuesday  evening,  October  15,  a 
prayer  meeting  was  begun  in  the  same  place  of  which  Mr. 
Hamel  was  to  have  charge.  I  was  not  present,  having 
engaged  to  participate  the  same  evening  in  the  dedication 
of  the  present  edifice  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church 
in  Philadelphia,  corner  of  21st  and  Walnut  streets.  But 
the  late  Mr.  K.  S.  Walton,  of  Philadelphia,  had  engaged 
to  be  present,  and  two  public  school  teachers  of  the  neigh- 
borhood had  promised  to  assist.  Mr.  VanWinkle,  store 
keeper  at  Edge  Hill  Village,  who  was  at  that  time  con- 
nected with  the  Flourtown  Presbyterian  Church,  and  Mr. 
Heiss,  a  Lutheran,  that  lived  nearby,  were  very  encour- 
aging to  all  this  religious  effort.  Forty  persons  were  re- 
ported to  have  attended  this  first  week-evening  prayer 
meeting. 

The  work  thus  begun  went  on  encouragingly  from 
that  time,  though  the  Tuesday  evening  meeting  had  sea- 
sons of  languishing,  and  sometimes  seemed  to  have  ceased 
to  be. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  several  week  evening  meetings 
were  appointed  in  a  way  to  make  it  possible  for  the  pas- 
tor to  attend  them  all,  viz.  Edge  Hill,  Tuesday,  Abington 
Church,  Wednesday,  a  meeting  of  many  years'  standing 
and  Jenkintown  Thursday.  The  services  of  the  Sabbath 
Day  were  morning  and  evening  in  the  parent  Church, 
every  Sabbath  evening  at  Jenkintown,  once  a  month  on 
Sabbath  afternoon  at  Willow  Grove,  and  once  a  month  in 
the  evening  at  Edge  Hill,  with  a  tendency  at  Edge  Hill  to 
more  frequent  meetings.  All  these  the  year  through,  and 
not  merely  in  summer  for  any  of  the  places.  On  the  other 
hand,  Fox  Chase  had  been  given  up  as  a  preaching  place 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  79 

of  the  Pastor  of  Abington  Church,  and  also  the  summer 
preaching  at  Fitzwatertown.  It  was  not  a  little  puzzling 
for  the  Pastor  how  these  meetings  were  to  be  led,  when  he 
could  not  be  present  himself.  Things  would  happen  also 
to  hinder  him,  and  others  that  were  regularly  in  charge, 
from  being  present  at  their  appointed  times.  The  mem- 
oranda of  iDastoral  labor  of  that  period  show  that  I  drew 
largely  and  constantly  on  my  acquaintances  in  Philadel- 
phia for  aid,  both  ministers  and  active  lay  laborers.  My 
diary  of  that  period  shows  that  the  visits  made  to  the  city 
were  almost  always  charged  with  errands  to  get  some  one 
to  help  the  work  of  one  or  other  of  these  meetings.  And 
then  came  the  seasons  when  a  protracted  meeting  was 
called  for,  and  special  help  of  the  sort  was  needed.  A  re- 
view of  these  things  shows  that  my  requests  for  help  were 
complied  with  in  the  most  fraternal  and  generous  way 
possiple,  and  my  invitations  to  preach  were  accepted, 
when  acceptance  was  possible,  as  ministers  are  supposed 
to  accept  when  invited  to  preach  for  a  university  or  a  con- 
vention. The  review  of  the  names  of  clergymen  and  of 
laymen  that  in  this  way  came  to  speak  The  Word  in  our 
meetings  deeply  impresses  me  now  by  the  number  of  dif- 
ferent persons  that  they  were,  and  still  more  by  the  emin- 
ence of  many  of  them,  some  eminent  already,  others  that 
became  eminent  as  Christian  ministers. 

A  very  signal  instance  of  the  latter  was  D.  L.  Moody, 
who,  through  the  influence  of  Mr.  Wanamaker,  accepted 
my  invitation  to  preach  in  the  Abington  church  and  Jenk- 
intown  Lyceum,  and  did  so  Sabbath,  March  17,  1872,  and 
again  later  on  week  days,  March  20,  21,  26,  28  and  April  3. 
On  the  last  day  named,  Ira  Sankey  was  with  him  and 
sang.  At  that  time  Mr.  Moody  was  having  meetings  in 
the  Central  Presbyterian  church  in  Philadelphia,  and 
made  these  meetings  with  us  as  opportunity  permitted. 
His  meetings  in  the  city  were  well  attended,  but  had  not 
the  countenance  and  co-operating  presence  of  any  clergy- 
men.     This  was  quite  unlike  his  later  exi^eriences.      T 


m  HISTORY    OF 

think  I  was  the  only  clergyman  that  at  that  time  in  this 
region  invited  his  aid  in  distinctively  pastoral  work.  Mr. 
Moody,  was  and  had  been  for  some  time  already  notor- 
ious; but  his  eminence  had  not  yet  dawned  on  tha 
churches.  It  did  a  few  weeks  later  when  he  went  to  Eng- 
land, and  the  Lord  attended  his  preaching  with  such  pow- 
er and  demonstration  that  Christendom  knew  that  a  great 
Evangelist  had  appeared.  Then  we  of  Abington  church 
read  reports  of  sermons  preached  in  England  that  we  re- 
cognized from  the  texts  had  been  preached  to  us.  One 
was  on  '  *  Romans  8 :  32  "  He  that  spared  not  His  own 
Son."  And  reading  how  many  thousands  were  blessed 
by  those  sermons  in  England  and  Scotland,  we  wished 
that  we  had  heard  better  when  the  same  evangelist 
preached  the  same  to  us.  Mr.  Moody  spoke  and  labored 
with  inquirers  when  he  was  with  us,  doing  it  with  all  his 
might.  The  meetings  were  good  as  we  usually  counted 
meetings,  but  the  community  was  not  unusually  stirred. 
There  were,  however,  some  that  then  first  confessed 
Christ,  and  some  of  these  remain  to  this  day  in  the  mem- 
bership of  Abington  church  and  of  Grace  church,  Jenkin- 
town.  I  trust  that  they  remember  gratefully  how  God 
sent  Mr.  Moody  to  call  them. 

A  very  precious  protracted  meeting  was  maintained 
beginning  with  the  Week  of  Prayer,  Sabbath,  January  7, 
1872,  partly  in  Abington  church  and  partly  in  the  Jenkin- 
town  Lyceum,  and  lasting  four  weeks,  meetings  being 
omitted  only  Saturdays.  They  lasted  until  Wednesday, 
February  7.  The  first  was  the  organization  of  an  Auxil- 
iary of  the  Women's  Foreign  Missionary  Society.  That 
took  place  on  the  last  day  of  the  meetings,  Wednesday, 
February  7,  1872,  and  was  done  by  Mrs.  William  E. 
Schenck,  president  of  the  Women's  Foreign  Missionary 
Society,  and  Mrs.  M.  B.  Grier,  another  officer  of  the  same, 
who  came  by  invitation  to  Abington  church  for  that  pur- 
pose. The  same  evening  the  Rev.  M.  B.  Grier,  D.  D., 
preached  in  the  church.      The  Auxiliary  was  organized 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  81 

by  electing  Mrs.  Dr.  Steel,  president,  Mrs.  Captain  Eobin- 
son,  vice  president,  Miss  Mary  Wigfal,  secretary,  and 
Mrs.  W.  P.  Smith,  treasurer. 

The  other  precious  event  was,  that  at  the  next  fol- 
lowing communion,  Sabbath,  February  18,  1872,  fourteen 
(14)  were  added  to  the  membership  of  the  church  on  pro- 
fession of  their  faith. 

These  reminiscences  deal  chiefly  with  the  circumfer- 
ence of  the  Abington  church,  that  is,  its  outposts  of  pas- 
toral work.  I  have  chosen  this  way  because  it  seems  to 
me  that  no  one  is  likely  to  tell  this  part  of  the  church  his- 
tory. I  was  the  last  pastor  that  had  such  work  to  do  in 
the  abundance  of  labor  of  the  extended  parish  transmit- 
ted from  Dr.  Steel  to  Dr.  Withrow  and  from  Dr.  Withrow 
to  me.  Soon  after  me  Jenkintown  and  Edge  Hill  became 
distinct  churches,  and  reduced  the  area  of  the  parish  in 
those  directions. 

But  having  made  so  long  a  story  about  the  circum- 
ference I  must  forego  the  satisfaction  of  reminiscences 
more  clearly  touching  the  center  of  the  congregation. 
These  would  necessarily  have  more  to  do  with  persons- 
and  personal  intercourse;  for  Abington  village  life  is  the 
most  central  of  all.  That  kind  of  subject  I  am  unable  to 
represent  in  an  amplified  way,  and  brief  mention  affords 
little  satisfaction. 

I  cherish  a  very  reverent  memory  of  Dr.  Beatty  and 
of  Mrs.  Steel,  and  of  Miss  Beatty  and  Miss  Steel.  In  the 
next  door  closeness  of  that  household  Mrs.  Lowrie  and  I 
always  found  good  society.  Their  warm  interest  and 
sympathy  in  all  that  concerned  us  and  our  children  cheer- 
ed us  every  day.  They  uniformly  supported  our  labor  in 
the  congregation  with  encouragement,  good  counsel  and 
eflBcient  help. 

AVhen  Elder  Eobert  Barnes  died,  October  3, 1869,  Dr. 
Beatty  and  George  Y.  Mann  were  left  to  constitute  the 
Church  Session,  till  December  15th  following,  when  Al- 
bert R.  Mann,  George  Hamel  and  George  S.  Yerkes  were- 


82  HISTORY    OF 

elected  elders.  A  month  later,  Sabbath,  January  16, 
1870,  they  were  ordained  and  installed. 

For  nearly  a  year  after  I  became  pastor,  I  superin- 
tended the  Sabbath  school  at  this  church,  which  met  be- 
fore the  morning  services.  But  finding  the  Lord's  day 
too  full  of  other  labor  for  me  to  attend  well  to  that,  and  be 
Sabbath  school  superintendent  beside,  I  called  for  an  elec- 
tion of  a  superintendent,  and  March  13,  1871  Mr.  John  B. 
Stevenson  was  elected.  But  his  place  had  often  to  be  fill- 
ed by  another,  which  was  oftenest  Mr.  George  S.  Yerkes^, 
and  sometimes  Mr.  George  Hamel.  On  Sabbath,  Jan- 
uary 4, 1874,  Mr.  George  S.  Yerkes  became  the  regular  su- 
perintendent. 

But  what  were  the  pleasantest  occupations  of  my 
office  as  superintendent  I  still  retained.  These  were 
hearing  children  who  had  learned  their  catechism,  say  it 
to  me,  and  keeping  the  count  of  Scripture  verses  repeated 
by  scholars  to  their  teachers  during  the  session  of  the 
school.  One  record  of  the  latter  states  that  Sabbath, 
March  5,  1871,  the  number  of  scholars  present  was  110; 
and  the  number  of  Scripture  verses  recited  was  246.  That 
was  likely  one  of  the  best  records.  Then  there  was  the 
further  enjojanent  of  giving  Bibles,  Testaments  and 
Hymn  Books  to  such  as  attained  the  required  standard  of 
merit  in  these  achievements. 

Some  may  suppose  that  the  Sabbath  school  anniver- 
saries could  not  be  passed  by  in  reminiscences.  They 
were  observed  in  the  last  week  of  August  or  the  first  week 
in  September.  But  though  one  may  say  how  can  you 
omit  to  tell  of  them!  I  have  only  to  say:  "How  can  I  tell  of 
them!"  They  were  grand  events  and  could  be  better  an- 
niversaries only  by  surpassing  themselves.  This  in  fact 
they  seemed  to  do,  for  in  my  records  each  year's  anniver- 
sary is  declared  to  have  been  better  than  any  that  preced- 
ed it. 

Neither  can  I  tell  of  the  surprise  party  given  in  the 
parsonage  to  the  Pastor  and  his  wife  on  Friday  evening^ 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  83 

March  13,  1874.  Never  was  a  secret  better  kept,  nor  a 
surprise  better  achieved.  If  surprise  must  make  an  event 
an  indellible  memory,  that  party  can  never  be  forgotten  by 
us  who  received  it.  But  I  have  had  the  constant  remind- 
er of  it  on  my  bookshelves  nearest  my  hand  for  constant 
and  ready  reference,  in  some  volumes  that  made  part  of 
the  rich  gifts  of  that  evening. 

I  may  note  here,  of  these  reminescences,  that  if  any- 
thing in  them  merits  preservation  in  the  archives  of  a  His- 
torical society,  it  is  the  dates,  whch  may  all  be  relied  on  as 
they  are  given,  for  they  are  taken  from  my  own  diary  of 
the  period. 

The  foregoing  story,  as  I  find  when  reading  it,  gives  a 
picture  of  a  happy  pastorate,  and  of  varied  labor  that 
helped  to  perpetuate  the  spiritual  life  and  growth  of  a 
venerable  church,  and  contributed  something  to  the  best 
things  that  still  remain  there.  It  has  been,  indeed,  my 
purpose  to  tell  only  such  things.  But  of  course  it  is  un- 
derstood that  we  were  all  human  in  those  good  days.  The 
pastor  did  not  go  to  meetings  all  the  time,  nor  even  to  all 
that  he  ought  to  have  attended.  Nor  were  there  always 
meetings  at  the  time  appointed.  The  weather  was  often 
too  bad  for  the  pastor  to  go  to  a  distant  meeting,  or  he  had 
a  cold,  or  some  other  obstacle  to  prevent  going.  And  of- 
ten for  like  reason  the  people  would  not  meet.  I  am  sur- 
prised now  to  note  how  often  it  is  recorded : '  *  The  evening 
very  inclement  and  the  bell  was  not  rung"  and  the  like.  I 
wonder  whether  there  is  such  usage  in  Abington  still ! 

And  I  took  some  interest  in  social  affairs.  For  in- 
stance, I  became  a  member  of  The  Mooretown  Horse  Co. 
and  joined  in  the  good  cheer  of  their  annual  supper.  I 
will  note  here  also  that,  the  small-pox  having  appeared 
in  Abington  village  and  neighborhood  in  the  fall  of  1871, 
I  joined  with  others  in  moving  70  persons,  old  and  young, 
to  assemble  in  the  lecture  room  of  the  church  on  Novem- 
ber 3,  3  o'clock  p.  m.  then  and  there  to  undergo  vaccina- 
tion by  Dr.  Harvey.      The  charge  was  to  be  fifty  (50) 


84  HISTORY    OF 

cents  for  each  person.  But  whether  paying  that  or  less, 
or  nothing,  every  one  was  to  be  vaccinated.  And  tliey 
all  were.  Dr.  Harvey  was  not  a  party  to  fixing  tho 
charge;  and  in  fact  no  one  paid  a  fee.  There  was  a  col- 
lection taken  from  the  company  that  gathered  of  $20.75, 
and  after  some  demurring  on  the  part  of  Dr.  Harvey,  he 
was  prevailed  on  to  accept  it. 

(Signed)  Sam.  T.  Lowrie. 

Philadelphia,  June  7,  1904. 

We  find  the  following  record: 

"At  a  congregational  meeting  held  June  15,  1874, 
Monday,  4  o  'clock  p.  m.,  I  presented  my  request  that  the 
congregation  would  unite  with  me  in  requesting  Presby- 
tery to  dissolve  the  present  pastoral  relations.  This  was 
granted,  and  Elder  George  Hamel  and  John  J.  C.  Harvey, 
appointed  a  commission  to  represent  the  church.  I  took 
the  step  with  a  view  to  accepting  the  Chair  of  New  Testa- 
ment Exegesis  and  Literature  in  the  Western  Theological 
Seminary,  Allegheny  City,  Pa. 

Monday,  June  21,  1874,  the  Presbytery  of  Philadel- 
phia North  met  in  the  Presbyterian  House,  Philadelphia, 
and  on  the  presentation  of  our  request,  dissolved  the  pas- 
toral relations,  to  take  effect  after  Sabbath,  July  26.  On 
that  day  I  accordingly  preached  my  farewell  sermon. 

Signed  Saml.  T.  Lowrie. 

EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  SERMON  OF  DR.  LOWRIE. 

Text: — "Finally,  brethren,  farewell.  Be  per- 
fect, be  of  good  comfort,  be  of  one  mind,  live  in  peace^ 
and  the  God  of  love  and  peace  be  with  you."  2  Cor. 
XIII-IL 

*  *  One  of  the  most  painful  and  at  the  same  time  most 
common  incidents  of  life,  is  the  necessity  of  saying  fare- 
well. Few  farewells  can  be  more  trying  to  every  warm 
and  generous  feeling  than  the  one  I  am  to  say  to  you  to- 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  85 

day.  I  accepted  the  pastoral  relation  among  you  as  a 
permanency.  Most  of  you  can  recall  the  expressions  of 
grateful  pleasure  I  uttered  when  I  stood  up  to  take  the 
pastoral  obligations  from  the  committee  of  Presbytery,  on 
Thursday,  May  27,  1869.  They  were  sincere  and  pro- 
foundly felt  at  the  time.  I  have  continued  in  the  same 
sentiment  to  the  present  hour.  I  never  spoke  a  word  or 
moved  a  pen  to  invoke  the  call  that  now  takes  me  away. 
In  accordance  with  that  sentiment  I  have  labored  in  the 
duties  of  my  office  here.  I  hoped  to  live  long  under  these 
happy  conditions;  and  I  laid  out  extensive  plans  of  Gospel 
work  that  would  require  many  years  to  mature,  and  al- 
ways kept  in  view  an  ideal  of  maturity  that  I  could  only 
hope  to  see  and  enjoy  at  the  close  of  a  long  pastorate.  I 
desired  to  see  those  ripe  fruits,  and  the  hope  of  that  has 
been  the  cheering  encouragement  of  many  an  hour  when  I 
felt  weary  of  work,  and  cast  down  by  the  appearance  of 
failure.  All  these  things  I  must  now  leave  in  their  in- 
fancy, ''not  having  seen  the  promises"  of  them." 


''I  have  a  peculiar  comfort  and  pleasure  in  the 
thought  that  I  am  not  leaving  this  charge  for  another  that 
I  must  learn  to  love  in  the  same  way.  Thus  I  may  cher- 
ish a  sentiment  of  fidelity  to  the  love  here  that  is  al- 
together pleasing  and  congenial  to  my  nature.  I  accept- 
ed this  charge  as  a  permanency,  and  as  a  last  charge  it 
will  have  a  permanency  in  my  memory.  I  have  noticed 
how  ministers  that  have  retired  from  active  work,  recur 
often  to  their  last  charge,  and  draw  most  all  their  illustra- 
tions of  pastoral  work  and  experience  from  their  exper- 
iences in  it.  I  have  often  noticed  with  interest  how  such 
often  begin  some  account  with  the  stereotyped  phrase, 
"When  I  was  pastor  of  the church."  My  fu- 
ture work  and  associations  will  necessarily  often  invite  me 
to  tell  what  I  know  of  preaching  and  of  pastoral  work,  and 
I  shall  often  begin  a  remark  with  ' '  When  I  was  pastor  in 


86  HISTORY    OF 

Abington,"  and  the    preface,  however   stereotyped  and 
stale  it  may  become  to  others,  will  be  a  fond  one  for  me. 

I  am  deeplj^  grateful  to  the  Lord  for  the  happy  pas- 
torate he  has  granted  me  in  this  charge.  It  has  not  dis- 
appointed those  ideas  I  had  of  it  when  I  accepted  it  as  my 
abiding  work.  In  many  things  it  has  exceeded  my  anti- 
cipations. There  has  been  more  work,  i.  e.,  more  to  work 
on,  and  more  expansiveness  and  more  fruitfulness  in  gath- 
ering souls  unto  eternal  life;  more  happy  unity  and  free- 
dom from  discussion,  and  more  helpfulness  in  every  good 
work.  All  this  has  the  setting  of  a  charming  landscape, 
highly  cultivated,  and  a  most  commodious  home.  Nor  is 
it  a  little  thing  to  me  and  mine  that  here  two  of  our  child- 
ren have  been  born,  and  here  all  four  have  spent  most 
happy  years  of  childhood. 

In  this  same  connection  I  would  like  to  speak  of  my 
Presbyterial  relations  with  the  brethren  and  churches  that 
constitute  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  North.  My 
union  with  you  joined  me  to  them,  and  the  act  that  severs, 
this  relation  also  separates  me  from  them.  Time  only  al- 
lows me  to  say  that  those  relations  have  been  most  cor- 
dial, and  with  several  that  have  long  been  the  friends  of 
this  church, — as  Drs.  Murphy  and  Owen — my  relation  has 
been  one  of  close  friendship,  in  which  I  feel  greatly  hon- 
ored. For  this  I  have  been  indebted  to  you,  for  your 
friends  have  become  mine  also.  All  these  considera- 
tions, and  more  I  cannot  advert  to  for  want  of  time  and 
fitness,  assure  me  that  this  farewell  means  far  more  for 
me  than  it  can  for  any  one  else.  It  involves  a  wrenching 
and  tearing  away  for  me  that  others  cannot  feel.  And 
now  that  the  final  and  farewell  act  is  to  be  consummated,, 
and  I  must  make  it  a  matter  of  reflection  and  speech  as  I 
now  do,  I  find  it  far  more  formidable  than  I  could  have  ap- 
prehended. 

Having  said  so  much,  some  may  be  thinking  ''why 
then  say  this  farewell,  why  not  remain?"  I  may  therefore 
take  this  occasion  to  speak  of  what  takes  me  away,  and 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  87 

the  considerations  that  make  it  a  plain  duty  to  follow  the 
call  I  have  received. 

The  work  ci  teaching  those  that  are  themselves  to  he 
preachers  of  the  word  is  of  the  highest  grade  of  usefulness 
and  importance.  AVhen  Dr.  Chalmers  was  called  from 
the  parish  of  St.  John's,  in  Glasgow,  to  the  Chair  of  Moral 
Philosophy,  in  the  University  of  St.  Andrews,  he  justified 
his  acceptance  to  his  church  in  an  address  from  which, 
and  also  from  remarks  made  on  another  occasion,  I  make 
the  following  extracts:  "Some  of  you  have  long  known 
what  I  think  of  the  great  worth  and  importance  of  a  pro- 
fessorship, and  that  I  have  even  held  a  literary  office  in  a 
university,  through  which  the  future  ministers  of  our  par- 
ishes pass  in  numerous  succession  every  year,  to  be  a  high- 
er station  in  the  vineyard,  even  of  Christian  usefulness, 
than  the  office  of  a  single  minister  of  a  single  congrega- 
tion. You  know  that  a  machine  in  the  hand  of  a  single 
individual  can  often  do  a  hundred  fold  more  work  than  an 
individual  can  do  by  the  direct  application  of  his  own 
hands.  He  who  makes  a  machine,  then,  is  more  produc- 
tively employed  than  he  who,  without  it,  engages  imme- 
diately in  the  work.  To  produce  a  steam  engine  which 
sets  a  hundred  looms  agoing,  is  a  far  larger  contribution 
to  the  goods  of  the  country,  than  to  work  at  a  single  loom. 
This  principle,  obvious  enough  in  manufactures,  is  sadly 
overlooked  in  the  business  of  human  society.  The  man 
who  spends  so  much  time  in  the  service  of  a  philanthropic 
institution,  is  not  so  productively  employed  as  he  who  ex- 
cites the  principle  which  prompts  those  services  in  the 
breasts  of  a  hundred  men.  He  who  does  work  is  not  so 
productively  employed  as  he  who  multiplies  the  doers. 
The  elevated  office  of  a  Christian  minister  is  to  catch  men. 
There  is,  however,  another  still  more  elevated,  and  that, 
too,  in  regard  of  Christian  productiveness,  which  is  to  be 
employed  in  teaching  and  training  the  fishers  of  men.  A 
professorship  is  a  higher  condition  of  usefulness  than  an 
ordinary  parish. "    "  Were  there  at  this  moment  fifty  va- 


88  HISTORY    OF 

cancies  in  the  clmrch,  and  the  same  number  of  vacancies 
in  our  colleges,  and  fifty  men  to  start  into  view,  equally 
rich  in  their  qualifications  for  the  one  department  and  the 
other,  some  of  you  would  be  for  sending  them  to  the 
churches ;  I  would  be  for  sending  them  to  the  chairs.  A 
christianized  university  in  respect  of  its  professorships, 
would  be  to  me  a  mightier  accesson  than  a  christianized 
county,  in  respect  to  its  parishes.  And  should  there  be  a 
fountain  out  of  which  there  emanated  a  thousand  rills,  it 
would  be  to  the  source  that  I  should  carry  the  salt  of  puri- 
fication, and  not  to  any  of  the  streams  which  flow  from  it.'^ 
Life  of  Chalmers,  Volume  2,  page  378,  and  note. 

This  is  enough  to  say  of  myself.  Let  me  employ  the 
rest  of  my  time  in  speaking  of  what  concerns  you.  First, 
I  will  present  a  brief  review  of  the  most  notable  features 
of  this  happy  pastorate  of  five  years,  in  a  statistical  re- 
port : 

Number  of  church  members  when  I  came,  not  count- 
ing some  enrolled  names  of  persons  absent,  of  whom  I 
could  never  get  any  knowledge,  was  189. 

Number  of  church  members  received  during  my  pas- 
torate, by  certificate,  23;  on  profession,  98;  total  121.  Total 
that  I  have  known  as  church  members  here,  310. 

Number  of  members  that  have  joined  other  churches, 
47;  members  died,  16;  lost  by  discipline,  7;  lost  by  absence 
without  letters,  13;  total,  83. 

Number  of  members  at  present,  227. 
Number  of  baptisms,  adults,  34;  infants,  57;  total,  91. 
This  review  presents  to  us  a  most  cheering  sight.  We 
see  one  of  the  oldest  Presbyterian  churches,  that  has  exist- 
ed on  this  spot  for  one  hundred  and  sixty  years,  still 
young,  and  flourishing  in  strength  and  vigor.  I  would 
have  you  clearly  discern  and  always  bear  in  mind  what  is. 
the  real  glory,  and  deserves  to  be  the  boast  of  this  ancient 
church,  to  which  it  is  your  high  privilege  to  belong.  It 
is  not  that  it  is  an  ancient  church,  with  an  interesting  his- 
tory that  includes  many  venerable  names,  some  of  which 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  89 

are  found  on  the  tombstones  in  our  graveyard.  It  is  not 
that  this  church  represents  the  stability  and  conservatism 
of  the  Presbyterian  church,  by  a  steady  adherance  to  old 
ways  and  uncompromisingly  frowning  on  changes  and 
new  methods.  It  is  not  a  church  satisfied  with  the  past 
and  careless  of  new  achievements  for  the  honor  of  Christ, 
and  wont  to  think  others  should  be  glad  to  join  it  just  for 
what  it  has  been.  Much  less  is  it  a  church  languishing 
and  expiring  of  old  age.  It  has  a  history  that  is  inspir- 
ing to  keep  in  memory.  It  has  in  its  own  experience 
tried  old  Presbyterian  ways  and  doctrines,  and  illustrat- 
ed their  efficiency,  and  it  holds  fast  that  which  is  good, 
and  knows  why  it  does  so.  But  it  is  still  a  green  tree — 
fresh  and  pliable — not  stiff  and  rigid.  It  fits  itself  read- 
ily to  changing  times  and  circumstances,  and  is  alive  to 
the  wants  of  a  perishing  world  far  and  near.  It  is  full 
of  good  works  to  save  souls.  In  this  work  it  is  quick  to 
see  the  fitness  of  new  methods  and  ways  and  means,  and 
to  adopt  them  for  use.  It  is  itself  an  illustration  of  the 
pliability  and  plastic  nature  of  Presbyterianism,  and  of 
how  in  it  all  that  is  good,  both  old  and  new,  easily  com- 
bine, and  how  Presbyterianism  is  wedded  to  nothing  old 
because  it  is  old. 

Though  few  churches  in  the  land  are  more  ancient 
than  this  one  (one  hundred  and  sixty  years  is  a  great  age 
with  us),  there  is  not  one  that  seems  younger  and  has 
more  of  the  freshness  of  youth.  Never  in  its  own  his- 
tory did  it  more  fully  and  vigorously  occupy  the  field  in 
which  it  is  planted,  or  do  the  work  of  that  field. ' ' 

^  ^  "iP  tF 

One  of  the  most  painful  thoughts  I  have  in  leaving 
you  is,  that  so  many  with  whom  I  have  labored  are  still 
unconverted.  And  of  these  my  thoughts  dwell  with  most 
tenderness  on  those  that  have  by  their  own  confession  to 
me,  or  by  other  unmistakable  signs,  showed  that  they 
were  almost  persuaded  to  be  Christians.  What  joy  it 
would  have  been  to  me  to  see  them  safely  folded  to  Jesus 


90  HISTORY    OF 

Christ,  tlie  good  Shepherd,  before  I  go!  Let  me  once 
more  expostulate  with  all  such  as  hear  me  now.  I  would 
intreat  you  to  see  and  feel  the  folly  of  delaying  this  mat- 
ter of  your  salvation.  You  must  be  saved  by  hearing  and 
heeding  the  call  of  God  in  Jesus  Christ.  ' '  Believe  on  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ."  Repent  of  your  sins  that  you  may 
receive  their  remission.  This  will  be  your  eternal  salva- 
tion. This  is  the  Gospel.  For  five  years  it  has  been  my 
privilege  to  press  this  offer  of  eternal  life  on  you  in  all  its 
loving  freeness.  I  have  been  able  to  do  it  out  of  unusual- 
ly abundant  resources.  For,  without  thinking  of  my  own 
words  and  works,  let  me  remind  you  of  the  helpful  men 
and  women  of  this  church,  that  in  the  Sabbath  school 
have  stood  up  with  me  in  this  ministry  to  testify  of  the 
grace  of  God.  Let  me  remind  you  of  the  godly  women 
who  have  spoken  to  you  in  missionary  societies,  and  of  the 
men  I  have  been  able  to  bring  into  our  meetings  that  have 
pressed  the  same  grace  on  you.  They  have  come  from 
near  and  far.  They  have  told  of  the  power  of  the  gospel 
to  salvation  in  Christian  and  heathen  lands.  All  this  has 
been  crowded  here  as  into  a  focus,  to  persuade  you  of  your 
need  of  this  salvation  and  of  God's  willingness  to  save. 

Conspicuous  among  them  I  would  remind  you  how 
Jesus  Christ  sent  Mr.  D.  L.  Moody  and  his  fellow-laborer, 
Mr.  Sankey,  to  us  in  the  spirit  of  the  parable,  "They  will 
reverence  my  son!"  Men  that  had  gathered  great  har- 
vests elsewhere,  and  have  since  filled  the  world  with  their 
report  and  stirred  an  entire  nation  to  its  depths.  Mr. 
Moody  especially  moved  among  us  for  days  in  the  same 
spirit,  with  the  same  message,  given  in  the  same  manner 
as  recently  in  England  and  Scotland.  Many  of  you  felt 
the  convincing  and  persuading  power  of  the  gospel  as  it 
came  from  his  lips.  Some  were  saved ;  but  most  were  not. 
I  think  meanly  enough  of  my  own  way  of  ministering  for 
Christ.  But  when  I  think  of  these  that  have  come  here 
by  such  influence  as  I  have  been  able  to  use ;  while  I  think 
it  easy  to  find  a  far  more  able  minister  than  I  have  been  to 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  91 

be  my  successor,  I  do  wonder  if  you  will  ever  again  have  a 
ministry  of  such  varied  and  abounding  resources.  At  all 
events,  such  as  it  was,  it  has  now  come  to  an  end; — and  yet 
you  are  not  saved.  Let  this  be  your  warning,  impenitent 
hearer!  The  same  unbelief  that  has  made  you  proof 
against  this  ministry  will  suffice  to  harden  your  hearts 
against  any  and  all  others.  As  this  accepted  time  of  sal- 
vation has  passed,  so  too  will  all  others.  Let  a  few  more 
opportunities  go,  and  the  end  of  your  day  of  grace  will  be 
gone,  and  you  without  hope  must  taste  the  wrath  of  Him 
who  now  offers  you  mercy.  I  dare  not  warn  you  by  say- 
ing— ''Take  care  not  to  suffer  another  pastorate  to  end 
without  your  accepting  salvation  in  Jesus  Christ."  I 
know  not,  and  you  know  not,  whether  you  shall  ever  see 
the  beginning  of  another.  No !  I  entreat  you  not  to  let  the 
few  remaining  sands  of  this  pastorate  be  spent,  that  closes 
with  the  closing  hours  of  this  day,  without  crying  for  the 
pardon  of  your  sins  and  being  reconciled  to  God  in  Jesus 
Christ. 

Brethren,  these  farewells  are  painful,  and  so  are 
many  other  incidents  of  this  life;  and  so  we  call  it  a  pil- 
grimage, a  weary  pilgrimage.  I  stood  lately  on  a  lofty 
eminence  of  a  mountain  that  overlooked  a  vast  panorama 
spread  below.  One  who  looked  on  the  same  prospect, 
said  "I  have  traveled  up  and  down  that  county,  and  yet  I 
cannot  make  out  any  of  the  spots  we  are  looking  on. ' ' 
'  *  Yes, ' '  said  another,  ' '  when  you  look  down  from  a  great 
height,  things  look  very  differently."  Brethren  in 
Christ,  we  shall  all  stand  on  the  heavenly  hills  together, 
and  all  these  things  that  now  make  life  painful  will  look 
very  differently.  From  that  mountain  I  could  see  much 
of  the  way  that  I  had  several  times  found  a  weary  one  in 
the  heat  of  the  sun.  But  the  hills  that  down  in  the  valley 
seemed  so  great,  and  even  mountains  themselves  seemed 
only  gentle  undulations;  and  the  sun  that  oppressed  me 
down  there,  from  this  new  point  of  vision  and  cool  air, 
seemed  only  to  shed  a  glory  over  all  the  wide  expanse.  So 


92  HISTORY    OF 

from  the  heaven  to  come,  though  we  may  see  back  on  the 
way  that  was  made  weary  by  farewells  and  other  afflicting 
things,  they  will  be  immensely  reduced  in  size.  And  as 
for  the  providences  that  melted  us  and  wore  out  our 
strength  with  burning  oppression,  we  shall  see  them  as 
part  of  a  great  light  that  fills  the  earth  with  the  glory  and 
brightness  of  God's  love. 

After  all,  let  us,  having  such  a  hope,  not  say  farewell; 
at  least,  not  as  the  world  says  it.  Let  us  say ' '  Au  revoir ' ' 
— **auf  wieder-schen" — "Till  we  meet  again;"  for  we 
shall  all  meet  Him  together  when  He  comes  in  glory.  We 
have  been  too  much  to  one  another  not  to  know  each  other 
then  and  there.  I  have  several  times  preached  to  you 
what  is  my  strong  conviction,  that  the  heavenly  recogni- 
tion of  saints  will  be  mainly  determined  by  the  influence 
they  have  had  in  helping  each  other  to  get  glory.  We 
shall  know  Christ  first  of  all,  because  he  is  first  in  the  mat- 
ter of  our  salvation.  We  shall  know  those  apostles  next 
— seated,  as  they  shall  be,  on  thrones — because  next  to 
Christ  we  owe  our  salvation  to  them  as  the  heralds  of 
peace  with  God  through  Christ.  We  shall  know  Abra- 
ham, who  first  received  and  believed  the  promises  for  us, 
and  shall  recline  in  his  bosom.  But  the  ministers  that 
have  awakened  us ;  the  friends  that  have  helped  us  to 
grow  in  grace ;  the  companions  by  our  side,  through  whom 
we  have  often  been  strengthened  when  weary,  and  kept 
from  fainting  till  we  came  to  the  strand  of  Jordan,  and  our 
feet  were  dipping  in  its  waves,  those  too  will  be  recogniz- 
ed and  happy  will  be  the  greetings  in  which  all  the  bitter- 
ness of  farewells  shall  be  forgotten  in  the  thought  that 
there  shall  be  no  more  partings.  What  relation  on  earth, 
then  can,  in  these  respects,  transcend  that  of  a  pastor  and 
people  ?  What  is  so  sure  of  eternal  effects  ?  It  is  an  eter- 
nal relation,  and  cannot  end  with  any  temporal  changes. 
Its  vast  importance  for  us  all  who  have  sustained  that  re- 
lation one  to  another,  and  the  consciousness  that  there  is 
a  relation  established  that  shall  never  end,  are  set  forth  in 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  93 

tlie  words  of  the  Apostle  Paul,  that  he  addressed  to  the 
Thessalonians.  I  adopt  them  as  my  own  to  you,  and  they 
qualify  this  farewell  with  an  element  of  joyful  hope.  "For 
what  is  our  hope,  or  joy,  or  crown  of  rejoicing?  Are  not 
even  ye  in  the  presence  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  at  his 
coming?  For  ye  are  our  glory  and  joy."  1  Thess.  2: 19, 
20. 

Let  me  conclude  with  the  words  of  my  text,  which  is 
more  appropriate  for  the  end  than  for  the  beginning  of  my 
sermon:  "Finallj^,  brethren,  farewell.  Be  perfect,  be  of 
good  comfort,  be  of  one  mind,  live  in  peace,  and  the  God  of 
love  and  peace  shall  be  with  you." 

At  the  present  writing  (1911)  Mr.  Lowrie  is  still  in 
vigorous  health,  and  is  active  in  the  Presbyterian  Histor- 
ical Society. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

DR.  LEIGHTON  W.  ECKARD.  1875-1891. 

The  Rev.  Leighton  W.  Eckard  was  installed  Pastor 
May  5, 1875.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Murphy  says:— "He  came  to 
this  charge  richly  qualified  by  five  years  successful  labor 
as  a  Misionary  in  China. ' ' 

We  find  the  following  in  the  records  of  the  Session, 
January  14,  1875: — 

"Agreeable  to  notice  having  been  given  of  an  elec- 
tion to  be  held  this  day,  the  Congregation  met  at  the 
Church;  Rev.  Roger  Owen,  Moderator.  After  reading  the 
following  notice — "Abington,  January  3,  1875;  All  the 
members  of  this  congregation  are  requested  to  meet  on 
Thursday,  14th,  1875,  at  2  o  'clock,  at  the  church  then  and 
there,  if  it  be  agreeable  to  them,  to  proceed  to  the  election 
of  a  pastor  for  the  church.  On  motion,  George  Hamel  was 
appointed  Secretarj^  and  A.  R.  Mann  and  George  S.  Yerk- 
es.  Tellers.  Leighton  W.  Eckard,  being  the  only  nominee, 
received  the  unanimous  vote  of  the  congregation. 

On  motion,  John  C.  Hunter  and  George  S.  Yerkes 
were  appointed  Commissioners  to  prosecute  the  call. 

Extract  from  Minutes  of  Session: — 

"On  May  25,  1875,  at  an  adjourned  meeting  of  Pres- 
bytery of  Philadelphia  North,  the  Rev.  L.  W.  Eckard  was 
installed  Pastor  of  Abington  Presbyterian  church. 

The  charge  to  the  people  was  made  by  Rev.  Dr. 
Owen ;  the  charge  to  the  Pastor  by  Rev.  Dr.  J.  R.  Eckard, 
and  the  sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  Dr.  Murphy.  Mr. 
Eckard 's  call  was  dated  January  1st,  1875. 

Extract  from  Minutes  of  Session  May  27,  1876:— 

' '  With  reference  to  the  recommendation  of  General 

(94) 


DR.  LEIGHTON  W.  ECKARD. 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  95 

Assembly,  and  the  Presbyterian  Historical  Society,  to  the 
effect  that  an  Historical  discourse  be  delivered  (during 
the  Centennial  year)  in  each  of  our  churches: 

Session  resolved  to  act  upon  these  suggestions — so 
far  as  the  Abington  church  was  concerned.  It  was  under- 
stood that  a  Committee  of  Trustees  would  be  appointed  to 
act  conjointly  with  the  Session  in  perfecting  arrange- 
ments for  a  Congregational  gathering  and  that  the  Pas- 
tor would  prepare  a  history  of  the  church.  Other  details 
were  left  to  the  management  of  a  committee  of  arrange- 
ments." This  Historical  Discourse  was  preached  August 
30,  1876.  We  have  quoted  from  this  sermon  in  a  previous 
part  of  this  History. 

The  Text  and  opening  paragraph  are  as  follows : — 

''I  remember  the  days  of  old."  Psalm  CXLHI,  5." 
'*  Confucius,  the  Chinese  sage,  once  said  concerning 
the  books  he  had  written,  ' '  I  have  been  but  a  transmitter, 
not  a  maker."  Without  striving  to  originate  anything, 
he  had  simply  sought  to  record  and  perpetuate  the  wis- 
dom of  those  who  preceded  him.  The  philosopher's  idea 
has  been  appropriated  in  the  present  instance.  In  the  re- 
marks that  follow,  only  a  simple  recital  of  facts  connected 
with  the  men  who  stood  where  we  now  stand  has  been  at- 
tempted. They  have  been  gathered  from  all  sources,  pub- 
lic and  private,  within  reach,  and  in  offering  them  I  con- 
fess to  one  supreme  satisfaction.  It  is  suggested  by  the 
anecdote  of  a  worthy  woman  who  always  had  a  kind  word 
for  her  pastor.  One  day  the  good  doctor  had  been  un- 
usually dull  and  uninteresting  in  his  discourse.  The  old 
lady  had  a  son  who,  after  service,  said  to  her,  "Surely, 
mother,  even  you  will  not  defend  this  sermon,  it  was 
enough  to  put  us  all  to  sleep."  "Yes,  my  dear,"  quickly 
quoth  the  dame,  "part  of  what  the  minister  said  I  enjoy- 
ed exceedingly,  his  text  was  excellent." 

The  close  of  this  sermon  is  as  follows : —  *         *         * 
"And  now,  wonderingly  directing    our  gaze    toward 


1)6  HISTORY    OF 

the  dim  and  undiscovered  future,  we  ask  what  will  it  bef 
It  needeth  not  a  prophet's  power  to  give  the  answer.  It 
will  be  very  much  what  we  make  it.  When  Napoleon  chose 
-a  motto  for  himself,  he  took  this  simple  sentence,  ' '  follow 
up  advantages."  It  was  the  secret  of  his  success.  When 
he  had  accomplished  much  he  ever  strove  to  accomplish 
more. 

And  shall  we,  dear  brethren,  satisfy  ourselves  with 
the  record  of  the  past?  Shall  we  point  to  great  names  and 
and  great  deeds  and  say  these  be  our  boast?  Ah,  beloved, 
I  am  persuaded  better  things  of  you.  Not  as  though  we 
had  already  attained,  let  us  to-day  pledge  to  high  heaven 
our  firm  purpose  to  carry  to  still  greater  perfection  the 
work  that  has  been  so  successfully  performed.  Let  us 
promise  God  and  each  other  to  '^ follow  up  advantages." 

The  Darwinian  theory  of  the  "survival  of  the  fittest" 
may  have  been  carried  to  extreme  and  ridiculous  length. 
But  there  is  a  sense  in  which  it  proves  itself  to  be  one  of 
the  established  truths  regulating  the  affairs  of  our  race. 
Especially  is  it  being  exemplified  in  this  age  whose  watch- 
word everywhere  is  advance.  Weaklings  in  faith,  cowards 
in  action,  are  more  and  more  being  swept  aside.  Less  and 
less  is  the  laurel  awarded  to  those  not  possessed  of  moral 
strength  and  courage  and  devotion  to  the  right.  In 
church  as  in  state,  in  God's  cause  as  in  our  individual 
calling,  these  facts  are  true.  If  the  counsels  of  the  fearful 
and  unbelieveing  are  to  be  followed  by  us,  if  the  spirit  of 
the  faithful  and  earnest  is  rejected,  then  the  sooner  we 
lock  our  church  door  and  lose  the  key,  the  better  for  us 
and  for  all  men. 

But  are  we  prepared  to  assume  the  responsibility 
thus  pointed  out  as  belonging  to  the  proper  performance 
of  our  duty?  Are  we  sufficient  for  these  things ?  Certainly 
we  are,  through  Him  who  strengtheneth  us.  We  are  ready 
for  anything,  if  only  we  write  on  the  banner  that  leads  our 
advance,  "Christ  with  us."  He  who  helped  the  fathers, 
says  to  the  sons  and  daughters,  "I  will  never    leave  thee 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  97 

nor  forsake  thee. ' '  Go,  then,  in  this  thy  might.  Lo !  the 
fiery  pillar  directs  you.  Behold,  the  cloud  is  your  shelter. 
Hold  high  the  cross  and  Crucified  One.  By  this  sign  you 
shall  conquer.    If  God  be  for  us  who  can  be  against  us  ? 

For  a  season  yet  the  moon  shall  wax  and  wane  and 
the  sun  must  rise  and  set,  but  after  awhile,  when  Time  is 
no  more,  a  countless  number  will  be  gathered  together  in 
the  church  triumphant.  Beautiful  Zion  built  above !  whose 
foundations  are  jewels,  whose  gates  are  pearls,  whose 
pavement  is  of  gold,  and  whose  light  radiates  from  the 
risen,  crowned,  glorified  Lamb  of  God!  In  the  festal  halls 
of  gladness,  how  ceaselessly  happy  will  all  the  ransomed 
ones  be.  The  multitude  will  be  there,  and  everyone  will 
help  to  swell  the  sweet  music.  Never,  thou  city  of  the 
saved,  until  we  stand  within  thy  sacred  precincts,  can  we 
hope  to  hear  the  complete  history  of  this  our  beloved 
church.  But  thou  shalt  make  to  us  a  full  revelation.  For 
to  thy  safe  fold  will  have  been  gathered  all  those  who, 
while  living  here,  learned  to  love  the  Saviour.  And  in 
souls  saved,  in  Christ's  name  glorified,  in  God's  glory  en- 
hanced, we  shall  know  at  last  what  divine  grace  has  done 
for  Abington. 

May  our  Father  in  His  Mercy  bring  us  all  to  that 
great  gathering,  that  endless  jubilee. 

To  His  name  shall  all  the  praise  be  given. ' ' 

Rev.  L.  W.  Eckard  resided  in  the  parsonage  and  was 
kept  very  busy  with  his  various  duties  to  the  church  and 
its  missions.  He  was  blessed  with  five  children;  two  of 
them  born  in  China  and  three  born  in  this  parsonage.  He 
also  had  with  him  his  father  and  two  maiden  sisters. 
Eev.  Dr.  Murphy  of  the  Log  College  makes  this  note : 
''One  most  beloved  and  honored  name  must  be  dwelt 
on  here — that  of  the  Rev.  James  Read  Eckard,  D.  D., 
father  of  Abington 's  present  pastor.  As  he  spent  his 
last  years  in  the  family  of  his  son,  and  as  a  member  of 


98  HISTORY    OF 

this  Presbytery,  his  j)roper  place  of  rememhrance  is  in 
this  connection. 

Where  shall  we  find  a  richer  memory  than  that  of  Dr.. 
Eckard,  the  grandson  of  a  noble  patriot  who  was  an  ac- 
tive agent  in  the  battles  of  the  Revolution ;  a  member  for 
four  years  of  the  Philadelphia  bar — the  Philadelphia  at- 
torney for  advocating  at  Harrisburg  the  establishment  of 
our  present  public  school  system;  abandoning  the  bar,  the 
theological  student  at  Princeton  Seminary;  for  ten  years 
a  successful  missionary  in  Ceylon;  principal  of  the  Chat- 
ham Academy  in  Savannah,  Georgia ;  pastor  for  ten 
years  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  church,  Washington; 
professor  for  ten  years  in  Lafayette  College,  spending  the 
happy  evening  of  his  beautiful  and  useful  Christian  life 
in  literary  work  in  the  parsonage  of  Abington  with  his 
son;  and  then  swiftly  falling  asleep  in  Jesus,  being  in- 
stantly carried  above,  in  his  eighty-third  year? 

The  extreme  modesty  of  Dr.  Eckard  was  such  that 
even  his  friends,  much  less  the  church  at  largo,  could  not 
know  his  great  worth.  His  spirit,  instinctively  loyal  to 
all  that  pertained  to  Christ  and  his  cause,  could  not  hut 
make  him  true  and  good  and  useful.  His  gentle,  warm, 
but  intense  affection,  as  well  as  his  fine  attainments,  have 
placed  his  memory  among  the  tenderest  and  most  valued 
of  the  writer's  life." 

LOG  COLLEGE. 

The  celebration  of  the  founding  of  the  Log  College 
was  held  September  5,  1889. 

As  Abington  Presbyterian  church  was  one  of  the 
most  important  factors  in  this  celebration,  we  here  insert 
the  report  of  Rev.  Leighton  W.  Eckard,  its  pastor:— 

PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  GREAT  GATHERING. 

Thought  precedes  action.  Prearranged  plans  must 
lead  up  to  the  accomplishment  of  all  worthy  purposes.. 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  90 

And  the  celebration  of  September  5tli  was  not  the  expres- 
sion of  sudden  impulse.  On  October  3, 1888,  The  Presby- 
tery of  Philadelphia  North,  at  the  suggestion  of  the  Eev. 
Thomas  Murphy,  D.  D.,  took  the  initial  step  toward  such 
a  gathering  on  the  site  of  the  old  Log  College,  as  should 
emphasize  an  appreciation  of  the  fact  that  the  foundations 
of  Presbyterianism,  as  an  organized  and  aggressive  force 
in  America,  were  laid  within  our  territorial  limits.  The 
proper  committees  were  appointed  to  carry  out  this  deter- 
mination, and  their  several  chairmen  were  constituted  an 
executive  board,  as  follows : — 

Thomas  Murphy,  D.  D.,  Chairman  of  Committee  on 
Speakers  and  Programme;  the  Rev.  D.  K.  Turner,  on  Se- 
lecting Place;  William  Wynkoop,  Esq.,  on  Finance;  the 
Eev.  Charles  Collins,  D.  D.,  on  Advertising  and  Invita- 
tions; Charles  B.  Adamson,  Esq.,  on  Eailroads;  the  Rev. 
G.  H.  Nimmo,  on  Entertainment;  John  L.  DuBois,  Esq.,  on 
Music. 

Mr.  Adamson 's  resignation  on  account  of  illness  was 
accepted  with  great  regret.  A  most  acceptable  and  en- 
ergetic substitute  was  found  in  Hamilton  Disston,  Esq.,. 
who  kindly  gave  influence  and  effort  when  and  where  they 
were  most  required. 

William  Wynkoop,  Esq.,  was  also  prevented  from 
serving,  because  of  absence  in  Europe.  This  was  a  sore 
discouragement,  and  was  acquiesced  in  only  through  ne- 
cessity. The  writer  was  subsequently  designated  as  his 
successor,  and  acted  in  that  capacity. 

On  April  30th,  at  a  general  conference  of  the  commit- 
tees, it  was  decided  to  invite  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  Postmaster  General  Wanamaker  and  Governor 
Beaver  of  Pennsylvania,  each  of  these  distinguished 
officials  holding  the  office  of  elder  in  the  Presbyterian 
church.  Dr.  Murphy  and  President  Knox,  of  Lafayette 
College  were  instructed  personally  to  convey  this  invita- 
tion and  urge  its  acceptance.  Their  mission  was  success- 
fully accomplished.      Governor  Green,  of  New  Jersey  was 


100  HISTORY    OF 

also  asked  to  participate,  and  agreed  to  do  so  if  public 
duties  permitted.  Unfortunately,  he  was  not  able  to  at- 
tend. 

From  this  time  forward  the  entire  scheme  attracted 
great  interest,  and  public  opinion  accorded  it  an  impor- 
tance which  even  its  earliest  advocates  had  hardly  claim- 
ed. Divine  Providence  was  conspicuously  propitious, 
and  it  was  shown  how  "when  God  wills  all  winds  bring 
rain. ' '  The  newspapers  lent  their  influence.  Christian 
brethren  of  other  denominations  offered  aid  and  encour- 
agement, and  success  became  assured. 

A  delicate  and  difficult  duty  was  the  selection  of 
speakers.  These  were  chosen  according  to  the  rule  that 
each  must  represent  some  historical  interest.  J.  Addison 
Henry,  D.  D.,  represented  the  Board  of  Trustees  of 
Princeton  College ;  the  Rev.  D.  K.  Turner  represented  the 
venerable  church  of  Neshaminy  (Warwick) ;  Joseph 
Beggs,  D.  D.,  came  as  the  present  Stated  Clerk  of  the 
"mother-Presbytery;"  R.  M.  Patterson,  D.  D.,  L.  L.  D., 
one  of  the  successors  of  the  distinguished  Rowland  in  the 
Great  Valley  church,  was  designated  as  the  proper  person 
to  discourse  on  the  "Log  College  Evangelists;"  Presi- 
dent Patton,  of  Princeton  would  have  represented  that  in- 
stitution but  for  a  sad  affliction;  the  dean  of  the  college, 
Dr.  Murray,  came  instead;  Richard  Mcllwaine,  D.  D.,  L. 
L.  D.,  who  presides  over  Hampden-Sidney  College,  Vir- 
ginia, was  the  well-qualified  spokesman  for  the  South, 
where  the  influence  of  the  Log  College  was  so  potential; 
Charles  A.  Dicky,  D.  ?).,  appeared  as  the  representative  of 
the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia;  Dr.  Ebenezer  Erskine  em- 
bodied the  excellencies  of  ^  *  Presbyterians  in  the  Cumber- 
land Valley;"  S.  A.  Mutchmore,  D.  D.,  stood  forth  as  the 
stalwart  champion  of  the  Scotch-Irish;  and  Dr.  Knox  told 
of  the  heroic  struggles,  so  similar  to  those  of  the  Log 
College,  which,  under  God's  favor,  made  Lafayette  what  it 
is  today. 

Simultaneously    with  these    Presbyterial    arrange- 


ABINGTON     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH  101 

inents  a  great  popular  interest  manifested  itself.  Prep- 
arations were  made  to  extend  a  suitable  welcome  to  Presi- 
dent Harrison  and  those  who  should  accompany  him.  All 
classes  and  creeds  became  interested. 

On  September  4th  a  telegram  was  received  announc- 
ing that  the  President  and  Mrs.  Harrison,  Postmaster- 
General  Wanamaker  and  Private  Secretary  Halford 
would  arrive  at  Jenkintown  at  7  o'clock  p.  m.  Governor 
Beaver,  who  had  previously  arrived,  was  notified,  and  at 
the  appointed  hour  gracefully  welcomed  the  Chief  Mag- 
istrate to  Pennsylvania.  The  following  named  gentle- 
men were  present  to  extend  the  greetings  of  the  Presby- 
tery to  President  Harrison  as  he  entered  the  limits  of 
''Philadelphia  North:"  the  Rev.  Richard  Green,  Jenkin- 
town, chairman;  the  Rev.  L.  W.  Eckard,  x\bington;  Cap- 
tain Nicholas  Baggs,  Abington;  J.  M.  Colton,  Esq.,  Abing- 
ton;  Theodore  Glentworth,  Esq.,  Abington;  Roberts  Stev- 
enson, Esq.,  Abington;  A.  H.  Baker,  Esq.,  Jenkintown. 

As  the  assemblage  at  Jenkintown  was  veiy  large,  the 
committee  decided  not  to  detain  the  Presidential  party. 
They  therefore  drove  to  the  residence  of  Mr.  Wanamaker 
where  Mr.  Harrison  was  to  be  entertained.  There  a 
suitable  opportunity  was  soon  presented,  and  the  appre- 
ciation of  the  Presbytery  in  Mr.  Harrison's  presence  was 
cordially  expressed  and  as  cordially  responded  to. 

It  is  simple  justice  to  say,  just  here,  that  the  Pres- 
ident came  at  a  great  sacrifice  of  time  and  personal  com- 
fort— greater,  indeed,  than  can  be  well  expressed.  It 
should  be  noted,  as  well,  that  obstacles  which  at  times 
seemed  simply  insurmountable  were  overcome  by  the  un- 
equaled  energy  and  kindly  effort  of  the  Postmaster-Gen- 
eral, who  gave  himself  unreservedly  to  the  task  of  ensur- 
ing success. 

September  5th  was  a  pleasant  day.  At  an  early  hour 
the  roads  were  blocked  by  vehicles  of  all  descriptions. 
Soon  the  special  trains  from  the  city  brought  their  multi- 
tudes, who  had  been  attracted  by  the  announcement  of  the 


102  HISTORY    OF 

ovation  prepared  for  the  President  along  tiie  road  which 
he  must  drive  over  to  reach  the  Tennent  farm.  Montgom- 
ery coimty  never  before  witnessed  such  an  outpouring  of 
people  or  such  widespread  enthusiasm.  At  8.30  the  Pres- 
idential party  entered  carriages  in  the  following  order: 
President  Harrison  and  Mr.  Wanamaker;  Mrs.  Harrison 
and  Governor  Beaver;  the  Rev.  Dr.  Scott  and  Mrs.  Wana- 
maker; the  Rev.  Dr.  Lowrie  and  Mrs.  Dawson  Coleman; 
Private  Secretary  Halford  and  Mrs.  Lowrie.  The  jour- 
ney up  the  Old  York  road  at  once  began.  The  Rev.  W.  A. 
Patton,  on  behalf  of  the  Presbytery's  Committee  on  recep- 
tion, accompanied  the  party.  Jenkintown,  half  a  mile 
away,  was  quickly  reached.  There  the  flags  fluttered 
from  houses  and  stores,  and  amid  the  din  of  ringing 
church-bells  and  cheering  throngs  the  residents  waved 
their  welcome  from  every  window  and  doorway. 

Noble  Station  was  the  next  point.  Hither  the  drum 
corps  of  the  First  Regiment  of  Philadelphia  had  been  sent 
by  the  Reception  Committee  of  Abington.  Thej^  made  a 
striking  effect  in  their  scarlet  uniforms,  and  led  the  way 
to  the  village,  where  the  greatest  demonstration  on  the 
entire  route  was  made.  For  two  miles  flags  lined  the 
road  on  both  sides.  Telegraph  poles,  fences,  trees  were 
blazoned  with  the  tricolor.  Houses  and  barns  were  cov- 
ered with  bunting.  At  the  Abington  church  three  hun- 
dred children  stood  on  the  lawn,  each  holding  a  flag.  Over 
the  entrance  was  an  arch  bearing  the  legend,  *' Abington 
Church,  founded  1714.  Greetings  to  our  Ruling  Elders 
who  rule  our  country. ' '  Just  opposite  the  graves  of  Fin- 
ley,  Gilbert  Tennent  and  William  M.  Tennent  were  suit- 
ably marked.  Further  up  the  village  was  a  collossal 
arch  with  a  span  of  sixty  feet.  On  the  right  was  a  grand- 
stand accommodating  seven  hundred  ladies. 

A  pleasing  incident  here  was  the  offering  to  each  of 
the  ladies  of  the  Presidential  party  of  choice  flowers  on  be- 
half of  the  Abington  Committee,  the  bouquet  given  Mrs. 
Harrison  being  composed  of  exceptionally  rare  orchids. 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  103 

Another  stand  was  occupied  by  the  First  Eegiment 
Band,  forty-two  pieces.  At  this  point  it  seemed  to  be  a 
wilderness  of  colors,  "Iris  and  Aurora  blended,  "and 
none  who  saw  will  forget  the  sight.  The  President  halt- 
ed three  times  and  acknowledged  the  honor  paid  him  with 
evident  pleasure.  There  were  now  fifteen  hundred  car- 
riages following  his,  and  the  grand  procession  passed  on 
to  Hatboro,  where  similar  scenes  were  re-enacted,  al- 
though on  a  less  elaborate  scale.  The  most  pleasing  fea- 
ture was  the  reception  tendered  the  Presidential  party  at 
the  residence  of  Hon.  I.  Newton  Evans,  G.  A.  R.  Post  No. 
101,  under  the  command  of  Captain  Abram  Slack  and 
Marshal  Philip  Fretz,  had  met  the  President  just  as  Hat- 
boro was  reached.  They  were  accompanied  by  a  band. 
In  front  of  Dr.  Evans' the  Post  was  halted  and  a  way 
opened  for  the  President  to  enter.  Many  were  here  per- 
sonally presented  to  Mr.  Harrison. 

From  this  point  onward  the  Grand  Army  men  did 
service  for  which  too  much  praise  cannot  be  accorded. 
They  cleared  the  road,  protected  the  President  from  all 
annoyance  and  materially  facilitated  the  progress  of  the 
party.  Under  their  guidance  the  President  reached  the 
grounds  at  last,  again  to  be  greeted  by  the  twenty-five 
thousand  there  assembled. 

It  was  a  memorable  morning.  When  the  Presbyter- 
ians of  this  vicinity  forget  it,  their  piety  will  have  lan- 
guished and  their  patriotism  been  lost.  Quod  Deus  aver- 
tat.  L.  W.ECKARD." 

Rev.  Leighton  W.  Eckard,  Pastor,  presented  the  fol 
lowing  report  for  year  ending  April  15,  1884: — 

Additions  to  church 27 

Baptisms 11 

Present  Membership 215 

Sunday  Schools 250 

Elders    7 

Deaconesses    2 


104  HISTORY    OF 

CONTRIBUTIONS. 

Church  erection   $  438  00 

Home  Missions 422  00 

Foreign  Missions 355  00 

Publication 20  00 

Relief  Fund  75  00 

Freedmen   98  00 

General  Assembly 9  50 

Congregational    2540  89 

Special  services  were  held  in  the  early  part  of  the 
year  1886  and  much  spiritual  interest  was  developed,  and 
resulted  in  the  addition  of  32  communicants  to  the  church. 

At  a  congregational  meeting  held  January  5,  1887,  it 
was  announced  that  Elder  George  T.  Yerkes  had  removed 
from  the  neighborhood,  and  it  was  necessary  to  elect  some 
one  to  take  his  place.  Mr.  Roberts  Stevenson  was  nomin- 
ated and  unanimously  elected. 

In  1887  a  collection  of  $75  for  the  relief  of  the  suffer- 
ers by  earthquake  in  Charleston,  S.  C.  was  made. 

April  10, 1889,  Mr.  James  Van  Horn  presented  his  re- 
signation as  Clerk  of  Session;  continued  ill  health  being 
the  cause.  This  resignation  was  accepted  with  much  re- 
gret. 

Mr.  Roberts  Stevenson  was  elected  to  fill  the  position 
of  Clerk  of  Session. 

In  May  1889  Mr.  David  Cherry  resigned  the  Eldership 
and  moved  to  the  city.  The  Session  makes  the  following 
note : — 

**The  Session  having  received  the  resignation  of  El- 
der David  Cherry,  he  having  removed  to  Philadelphia,  de- 
sire in  parting  with  him  to  express  their  high  appreciation 
of  Mr.  Cherry  as  a  man,  a  Christian,  and  as  a  conscientious 
and  efficient  office  bearer  in  the  church. 

We  part  with  regret  from  one  who  was  both  useful 
and  honored,  and  in  their  new  church  relations  we  com- 
mend brother  Cherry    and  his  family  with  great  con- 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  105 

fidence  and  pleasure  to  those  in  whose  midst  their  lot  is 
now  cast." 

November  17,  1889  the  following  was  unanimously 
resolved: — 

"The  Rev.  Richard  Montgomery  having  presided 
over  the  gathering  in  Abington  church  on  the  occasion  of 
the  175th  anniversary  of  the  founding  of  the  church  (the 
Pastor  being  absent  through  sickness),  the  Session  desire 
to  record  their  appreciation  of  Mr.  Montgomery's  kind- 
ness and  express  to  him  their  great  satisfaction  with  the 
manner  in  which  he  conducted  the  exercises  throughout, 
making  them  by  his  efforts  a  complete  success." 

April  27, 1890:  Minute  of  Session:— 

' '  It  having  been  announced  that  Elder  William  Ten- 
nent  Yerkes  had  on  the  25th  inst.  been  called  from  earth 
to  his  heavenly  reward,  it  was,  on  motion,  unanimously 
resolved : 

' '  That  Session  record  their  high  appreciation  of  Mr. 
Yerkes  as  an  esteemed  and  beloved  Christian  brother.  As 
an  office-bearer  in  the  church  he  was  loyal  to  Presbyter- 
ian principles  and  conscientious  in  the  discharge  of  his 
official  duties.  The  honor  and  welfare  of  Zion  were  his 
constant  solicitude,  and  in  his  character  he  sought  ever- 
more to  maintain  the  highest  standard  of  Christian  in- 
tegrity. Sorrow  at  loss  to  us  finds  compensation  in  the 
assurance  that  our  brother  has  entered  the  higher  and 
holier  service  which  has  eternity  as  its  measure,  and  now 
stands  in  the  immediate  presence  of  the  Master  whom  he 
loved  so  well. 

The  following  is  from  the  Minutes  of  the  Session  July 
12,  1891:— 

"On  motion  it  was  unanimously  adopted,  that  the 
statement  containing  the  resignation  of  the  Pastor  pres- 
ented at  a  congregational  meeting  held  on  July  9  inst.  be 
entered  upon  the  sessional  records,  which  was  as  follows: 


106  HISTORY    OF 

' '  To  the  Session,  Trustees  and  members  of  the  Abing- 
ton  Presbyterian  church: 

Dear  Brethren : 

I  take  today  a  step  which  I  have  never  anticipated, 
desired,  nor  yet  made  any  move  to  bring  about. 

In  offering  my  resignation  as  Pastor,  some  few  ob- 
servations may  be  appropriate.  The  best  of  my  life  has 
been  spent  in  your  service.  Painfully  aware  of  my  own 
imperfections,  and  knowing  how  far  short  of  my  whole 
duty  I  have  fallen,  I  yet  claim  that  for  almost  17  years  my 
love  for  you  has  known  no  lessening,  and  my  loyalty  to 
your  interests  has  been  the  chief  concern  of  all  my 
thought.  In  your  seasons  of  joy  and  sorrow,  in  your 
homes  and  in  your  church,  I  have  wept  with  those  who 
sorrowed,  and  rejoiced  with  such  as  were  glad.  And  you 
in  your  turn  have  been  more  to  me  than  I  can  ever  express. 
No  man  ever  received  more  sympathy  and  affection  than 
you  have  shown  me.  You  have  done  more  than  mere 
duty  demanded,  and  my  stay  among  you  has  been  pleas- 
ant indeed.      Such  friends  I  will  never  meet  again. 

Why  then  should  I  leave  I  Why  not  do  as  I  have  al- 
ways hoped  to  do,  and  work  here  while  life  lasted  and  then 
rest  in  your  quiet  cemetery. 

My  only  answer  to  the  question  is,  that  the  Lord 
seems  to  order  otherwise.      I  simply  follow  his  leading. 

Three  years  ago  I  feared  my  work  here  was  ended.  I 
so  expresed  myself  to  Elders  Van  Horn,  Hunter  and  Stev- 
enson. They  advised  me  to  make  no  mention  of  the  mat- 
ter, but  to  accept  their  judgment  as  final.  I  did  so  unhes- 
itatingly, as  I  knew  they  had  the  interests  of  Abington  so 
much  at  heart. 

But  if  so  long  ago  I  felt  myself  unequal  to  the  visiting 
which  is  necessary,  how  much  more  may  I  realize  this  fact 
now.  The  calls  on  my  time  and  strength  are  constantly  in- 
creasing. The  church  today,  more  than  ever,  needs  wide 
awake  aggressive  work.      This  whole  region  is  stirring 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  107 

with  new  life  and  energy.  A  strong  man  must  come  and 
lead  you  to  the  Victories  of  the  future. 

I  do  not  feel  myself  in  any  way  sick  or  disabled.  But 
the  exposures  consequent  upon  Parish  life  in  the  country 
are  a  strain  upon  any  one.  They  have  proved  too  great 
a  strain  upon  me.  Without  any  call  elsewhere,  I  would 
soon,  very  soon,  be  forced  to  leave  here.  I  do  not  think 
I  could  undertake  another  winter,  and  if  I  did,  I  would 
do  injustice  to  you  and  the  work  here. 

Under  these  circumstances  I  unexpectedly  got  a  call 
to  Easton.  I  did  nothing  to  bring  this  about.  I  even 
discouraged  and  forbid  the  use  of  my  name  as  a  candi- 
date. I  did  not  decide  upon  my  duty,  nor  did  I  answer 
the  call  until  I  first  spoke  to  the  Session. 

But  I  find  myself  called  to  a  church  most  of  the 
people  of  which  are  my  childhood's  friends.  They  live 
within  a  few  blocks  of  each  other.  Visiting  there  may 
be  rapidly  and  easily  done.  I  have  much  material  laid 
up,  from  my  experience  here,  and  my  sermonizing,  for  a 
while  at  least,  will  be  comparatively  easy. 

In  view  of  these  and  similar  facts,  it  seems  as  if,  at  a 
critical  time,  a  Providential  opening  had  been  made  for 
me,  whereby  my  ministerial  work  may  be  continued.  To 
tarr}^  here  must  mean  to  break  down  soon,  and  then  take 
an  enforced  rest  for  a  long  time. 

By  going  to  a  different  field  the  conditions  are  chang- 
ed, and  I  hope  to  continue  my  labors  much  longer. 

This  is  my  entire  statement;  there  is  nothing  else  to 
say.  None  of  you  will  ever  make  the  mistake  of  thinking 
I  want  to  leave.  Every  tender  association,  every  affec- 
tion binds  me  to  Abington.  But  the  soldier  must  go 
where  the  Captain  directs  "We  have  here  no  continuing 
city." 

Because  God's  Pro'^ddence  seems  to  make  my  going 
right,  because  my  work  may  thus  be  lengthened,  and  be- 
cause the  interests  of  this  dear  church  may  be  better  man- 


108  HISTORY    OF 

aged  by  one  who  shall  have  more  strength — although  he 
will  never  be  able  to  have  more  honest  love. 

Under  these  circumstances  you  will  not  permit  the 
question  today  to  turn  on  friendship,  or  kind  sentiment ;  it 
is  simply  a  matter  of  duty  and  not  desire. 

As  such  you  will  doubtless  agree  with  me,  and  will 
appoint  three  commissioners  to  the  approaching  meeting 
of  Presbytery,  who  shall  be  authorized  to  carry  to  that 
body  your  censent  to  our  separation  as  Pastor  and  people. 

Permit  me  to  add  my  gratitude  and  loving  regard  to 
you  all  as  individuals  with  the  assurance  that  time  will 
never  decrease  my  devotion,  or  my  desire  to  do  good  to 
this  venerable  and  most  worthy  church.  Living  or  dy- 
ing, my  prayer  will  be — God  bless  Abington. 
Yours  with  affection, 
( Signed,  L.  W.  ECK ARD. ' ' 

The  following  resolutions  were  offered: 

WHEREAS:  At  a  congregational  meeting  held 
July  ninth,  1891,  Rev.  L.  W.  Eckard,  D.  D.,  presented  his 
resignation  as  pastor  of  the  church.  Failing  health  pre- 
cluding the  discharge  of  his  obligations  in  a  wide  and 
scattered  field  of  labor  connected  with  his  charge,  and  be- 
ing actuated  from  high  and  conscientious  principles  of 
his  duty  to  Almighty  God,  whose  ambassador  he  is,  and  to 
the  Church,  whose  servant  he  was,  alone  prompted  the 
step  thus  taken,  and 

WHEREAS,  By  a  unanimous  vote  in  deference  to  the 
Pastor's  wish,  the  resignation  was  received,  and  the  state- 
ment accompanying  was  entered  upon  the  Minutes  of  the 
Meeting, 

Therefore  Be  It  Resolved:  That  as  a  session  in  ac- 
cepting the  resignation  of  our  Beloved  Pastor,  we  bow  in 
humble  submission  to  the  Divine  Will,  believing  He  doeth 
all  things  well,  and  that  in  separating  from  our  Beloved 
Pastor,  our  loss  cannot  be  adequately  expressed. 

Resolved,    That  our  confidence  in  his  Christian  char- 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  109 

acter,  his  zeal  for  the  Church,  his  love  for  his  people,  his 
untiring  labor  will  ever  be  cherished  by  us. 

EESOLVED,  That  by  his  honest  efforts,  under  the 
blessings  of  God's  guidance,  the  success  of  this  church  has 
been  established,  together  with  the  earnest  support  of  our 
dear  Pastor's  wife,  who  through  good  and  evil  report,  in 
times  of  sadness  and  gloom,  joy  and  sorrow,  sickness  and 
health,  has  proved  a  source  of  comfort  and  blessing,  not 
only  to  the  Pastor,  but  to  all  around. 

EESOLVED:  That  a  copy  of  these  Ptesolutions  be 
properly  engrossed,  framed,  and  presented  to  the  Pastor, 
and  his  family. 

EESOLVED:  That  the  above  be  entered  on  the  ses- 
sional records  of  the  church. ' ' 

Eev.  Leighton  W.  Eckard  was  called  to  Easton,  Pa., 
and  remained  there  in  charge  of  the  Brainerd  Union 
church  until  1906.  He  is  at  the  present  time  doing  great 
service  as  the  Secretary  of  the  Pennsylvania  Bible  So- 
ciety. 


CHAPTEE  X. 
LLEWELLYN  S.  FULMER.  1892—1894. 

We  find  the  following  Minute,  August  9tli,  1891  in  re- 
gard to  the  death  of  Elder  John  D.  Fleming: — 

"The  Session  of  the  Abington  Church  desire  to  put 
on  permanent  record  their  sorrow  and  sense  of  loss  conse- 
quent upon  the  death  of  Elder  John  D.  Fleming.  A  quiet 
disposition  and  a  gentle  manner  were  the  accompaniment 
of  his  retiring  nature. 

Yet  those  who  knew  him  best  held  him  in  most  es- 
teem. His  Christian  character  was  consistent  and  cheer- 
ful; his  interest  in  the  work  of  the  church  was  real  and 
l^ractical.  His  willingness  to  assist  to  the  extent  of  his 
ability  was  most  marked.  The  memory  we  cherish  of 
him  is  that  of  a  righteous  man. 

Summoned  with  comparative  suddenness  from  earth 
to  the  presence  of  his  Judge,  death  found  him  unstartled, 
and  the  end  was  complete  triumph  in  Jesus.  Thanks  be 
to  God  who  gave  him  this  Victory. 

The  workmen  perish,  but  the  work  must  be  pressed 
with  redoubled  vigor.  As  the  ranks  thin,  those  who  sur- 
vive must  feel  their  increased  responsibility. 

Acknowledging  this,  the  Session  bows  submissively 
to  this  afflictive  dispensation,  and  while  rejoicing  in  the 
Divine  grace  which  was  manifested  in  our  brother's  career 
and  made  the  close  of  life  so  beautiful,  they  take  up  his 
work  with  their  own,  and  seek  to  renew  their  consecration 
to  Christ  and  His  cause. 

The  Session  would  further  express  their  profound 
sympathy  with  the  family  of  our  departed  friend,  and  it 
is  hereby  ordered  that  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  sent 

(110) 


REV.  LLEWELLYN  S.  FULMER. 


HISTORY  OF  ABINGTON  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH    111 

them,  duly  certified,  as  part  of  the  Sessional  Eecords,  and 
signed  by  the  Clerk. ' ' 

''A  congregational  meeting  was  held  November  11, 

1891,  and  Rev.  Harlan  G.  Mendenhall  received  a  iinani- 
mons  call  to  the  Pastorate.  For  some  reason,  Mr.  Men- 
denhall did  not  accept." 

A  congregational  meeting  was  called  for  ilpril  6, 

1892.  The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  records: — 
"A    congregational    meeting  will  be  held    in    this 

church  on  Yv^ednesday  evening,  April  6th  at  7.30  o'clock, 
to  elect  a  Pastor  if  the  way  be  clear.  There  will  be  a  half- 
hour  devotional  service  prior  to  the  meeting. 

Rev.  Richard  Montgomery,  Moderator  of  Session,  will 
preside. 

By  Order  of  Session, 
(Signed)  Roberts  Stevenson,  Clerk." 

''The  meeting  was  organized,  the  Moderator  presid- 
ing; Roberts  Stevenson  acting  as  secretary." 

"The  Moderator  asked  if  the  congregation  were 
ready  to  elect  a  Pastor.  It  was  declared  in  the  affirm- 
ative. The  salary  was  fixed  at  $1200,  including  the  use  of 
the  Manse  and  the  grounds  adjoining  the  church. 

Salary  to  be  paid  in  monthly  or  quarterly  payments 
as  desired  by  the  Pastor. 

The  Moderator  then  announced  that  nominations 
were  then  in  order. 

Mr.  J.  M.  Colton  nominated  Rev.  Adolos  Allen,  of 
"VVilliamsport,  Pa.  Mr.  Samuel  F.  Bockius  nominated 
Llewellyn  S.  Fulmer,  of  the  Graduating  Class  of  Princeton 
Seminary.  There  being  no  other  names  presented,  on  mo- 
tion nominations  closed. 

Mr.  J.  M.  Colton  and  Mr.  E.  T.  Noe  spoke  in  strong 
terms  in  favor  of  their  candidate,  while  Mr.  Nicholas 
Baggs  and  Samuel  F.  Bockius  spoke  with  equal  energy 
for  their  candidate.  The  remarks  on  both  sides  were  most 
complimentary  to  the  gentlemen  in  nomination,  and  a 
kind  and  spiritual  feeling  was  manifested  throughout. 


112  HISTORY    OF 

Mr.  E.  T.  Noe  and  Mr.  John  Bockius  were  selected  to 
act  as  Tellers.  On  the  first  ballot  Mr.  L.  S.  Fulmer  re- 
ceived a  majority  of  the  votes,  and  was  declared  elected. 
Mr.  J.  M.  Colton  moved  to  make  it  unanimous.  Mr.  Noe 
seconded  it.  The  vote  was  then  made  unanimous.  Mr. 
Fulmer  being  declared  elected  Pastor  of  Abington  church, 
unanimously. 

The  Moderator  then  filled  in  the  call,  being  signed  by 
Members  of  Session  and  Board  of  Trustees,  the  Modera- 
tor confirming  same  by  his  signature. ' ' 

The  following  is  from  the  records : — 

Narrative  of  the  Church  of  Abington  to  the    Presbytery   of    Philadelphia 

North. 

The  most  important  thing  to  note  on  behalf  of  Abing- 
ton is  that,  as  is  known  to  your  Committee,  the  church 
has  been  without  a  Pastor  for  nearly  eight  months.  This 
has,  in  the  nature  of  the  case,  affected  all  departments  of 
the  church's  work. 

I.  The  congregation  has  been  supplied  with  preach- 
ing throughout  the  year,  and  with  the  qualification  stated 
above,  the  attendance  including  the  youth  of  the  congre- 
gation, has  been  encouraging. 

II.  The  condition  of  the  Sabbath  school  continues 
good.  The  usual  helps  and  the  Shorter  Catechism  are 
used. 

III.  A  weekly  church  prayer  meeting,  and  also  a 
weekly  Christian  Endeavor  Society  prayer  meeting  are 
held. 

IV.  We  believe  parents  are  generally  faithful  in  the 
discharge  of  their  duties. 

V.  This  congregation  contributes  to  all  the  Boards ; 
the  poor  of  the  church  are  provided  for;  there  is  a  Wo- 
mans'  Missionary  Society. 

VI.  There  has  been  no  revival  and  no  additions  to 
the  church  since  the  dissolution  of  the  pastoral  relation. 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  lia 

During  all  these  months,  however,  the  interest  in  the 
church  has  continued,  and  the  utmost  harmony  prevailed. 
There  has  never  been  a  particle  of  dissension.  Twice, 
with  the  greatest  harmony,  a  call  has  been  made  out,  and 
now  this  church  is  hopefully  and  confidently  anticipating 
the  coming  of  a  new  Pastor. 

VII.  The  financial  obligations  of  the  congregation 
have  all  been  met. 

April  12,  1892. 
(Signed)  Eichard  Montgomery, 

Moderator. ' ' 
Eoberts  Stevenson,  Clerk." 

"Abington,  May  10th,  1892. 

' '  The  installation  of  the  Rev.  Llewellyn  S.  Fulmer 
took  place  this  evening  in  the  Abington  Presbyterian 
church.  The  Moderator  of  Presbytery,  Rev.  James  AV. 
Kirk,  propounded  the  usual  questions  to  the  Pastor.  Rev. 
Louis  F.  Benson,  of  the  Church  of  the  Redeemer,  German- 
town,  preached  the  sermon.  Rev.  William  Dayton  Rob- 
erts, of  the  Tabernacle  Presbyterian  church,  Philadel- 
phia, gave  the  charge  to  the  Pastor.  Rev.  Leighton  W. 
Eckard,  D.  D.,  of  the  Brainard  Presbyterian  church,  of 
Easton,  Pa.,  gave  the  charge  to  the  people.  Rev.  Rich- 
ard Montgomery  of  the  Ashbourne  Presbyterian  church,. 
Pa.,  made  the  Ordination  prayer.  Rev.  Mr.  Fulmer,  the 
newly  ordained  and  installed  Pastor,  pronounced  the 
benediction. ' ' 

''Abington,  May  13th,  1892. 

*     *     *     * 

''On  motion  the  following  was  unanimously  adopted; 

Recognizing  the  fidelity,  wisdom  and  untiring  labor 
of  Rev.  Richard  Montgomery,  pastor  of  the  Ashbourne 
Presbyterian  church,  in  the  capacity  of  Moderator  of  this 
Session,  we  do  hereby  express  our  appreciation  of  Rev. 
Richard  Montgomery  in  the  valued  services  rendered  this 
church  and  Session  during  the  time  he  was  Moderator. 

And  it  is  our  desire  that  the  Clerk  of  Session  transmit. 


114    HISTORY  OF  ABINGTON  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 

to  Eev.  Ricliard  Montgomery  this  action  on  our  part,  and 
that  same  be  placed  upon  the  Sessional  records  of  this 
church. 

On  motion,  the  Clerk  was  instructed  to  transmit  to 
the  members  of  the  Ashbourne  Presbyterian  church  Choir, 
their  iiigh  appreciation  of  the  music  rendered  on  the  even- 
ing of  the  installation  of  Rev.  Llewellyn  S.  Fulmer,  May 
10th,  1892,  and  beg  also  to  accept  our  thanks  for  the  kind 
and  fraternal  spirit  that  prompted  the  members  of  said 
choir;  also  that  a  copy  of  this  resolution  be  entered  on  the 
Sessional  records  of  this  church. ' ' 

The  Minutes  of  Session,  November  17,  1893  mention 
great  spiritual  interest  among  the  young  people  in  the 
congregation. 

"  Abington,  Pa.,  December  9th,  1894. 

"Session  met  pursuant  to  call  of  the  Pastor,  10 
o  'clock  this  morning.  There  were  present  the  pastor,  El- 
ders George  Y.  ]\Iann,  John  C.  Hunter,  and  Roberts  Stev- 
enson. Opened  with  prayer  by  Elder  George  Y.  Mann. 
The  pastor  informed  the  Session  that  he  had  received  a 
call  from  the  Lafayette  Square  Presbyterian  church,  Balt- 
imore, Md.,  and  requested  the  Session  to  unite  with  him  in 
calling  a  congregational  meeting  on  Monday,  December 
17th,  at  7.30  p.  m.,  and  ask  that  the  pastoral  relations  be 
dissolved,  that  he  might  accept  said  call.  Mr.  John  C. 
Hunter  moved  that  the  Session  accede  to  the  request  of 
the  Pastor.  It  being  seconded,  after  a  few  brief  remarks 
it  was  unanimouslv  agreed." 


CHAPTER  XI. 
REV.  JOHN  R.  HENDERSON,  1895-1899. 

The  following  appears  in  tlie  records  May  28tli,  1895 : 

''A  congregational  meeting  was  held  this  afternoon 
in  the  Abington  Presbyterian  church  at  4.30  o'clock  pur- 
suant to  call  of  the  Session  of  the  church,  previous  notice 
being  read  two  successive  Sabbaths.  Eev.  Richard 
Montgomery,  Moderator  of  Session,  occupied  the  Chair. 
Mr.  Roberts  Stevenson,  Clerk  of  Sessions,  acted  as  Secre- 
tary, One-half  hour  was  spent  in  devotional  exercises, 
after  which  the  call  for  the  meeting  was  read.  A  motion 
was  made  to  go  into  an  election  for  a  Pastor.  Same  was 
seconded,  and,  after  some  remarks,  carried. 

The  Moderator  then  asked  that  the  salary  be  stated. 
It  was  agreed  to  make  the  salary  of  the  Pastor  $1200  per 
annum,  with  the  Manse  and  grounds  attached.  Nomina- 
tions were  then  in  order.  The  following  were  placed  in 
nomination: — 

Rev.  John  R.  Henderson,  of  Mifflintown,  Pa. 

Rev.  C.  Colton  Kimble,  D.  D.,  of  Mt.  Holly,  N.  J. 

Rev.  D.  Ruby  Warne,  Kingston,  N.  J. 

Rev.  W.  L.  Cunningham,  D.  D.,  Point  Pleasant,  N.  J. 

On  the  first  ballot.  Rev.  John  R.  Henderson  received 
a  large  majority  of  the  votes  cast,  and  was  declared  elect- 
ed. The  call  was  then  made  out,  and,  by  vote  of  the  con- 
gregation, it  was  requested  that  all  the  members  of  Ses- 
sion and  Board  of  Trustees  sign  the  call,  which  was  ac- 
cordingly so  done. 

Three  Commissioners  were  appointed  by  the  congre- 
gation to  prosecute  the  call  before  Presbytery.  Mr.  Rob- 
erts Stevenson  as  representing  the  Session,  Mr.  Henry 

(115) 


116  HISTORY    OF 

Morris  the  Board  of  Trustees,  Mr.  Frank  Boutcher,  the 
congregation.  The  secretary  was  instructed  to  notify 
Eev.  Mr.  Henderson  of  his  election. ' ' 

"Abington,  Pa.,  June  14th,  1895. 

* '  The  installation  of  Rev.  John  R.  Henderson  took 
place  this  evening  in  the  Abington  Presbyterian  church 
at  8  o'clock.  By  order  of  Presbytery  Rev.  Richard  Mont- 
gomery presided  and  propounded  the  constitutional  ques- 
tions to  the  Pastor.  Rev.  C.  P.  H.  Nason  of  the  2nd 
church,  Germantown,  preached  the  sermon.  Rev.  Jas. 
W.  Kirk,  of  the  Roxboro  Presbyterian  church,  delivered 
the  charge  to  the  Pastor,  and  the  Rev.  Richard  Montgom- 
ery delivered  the  charge  to  the  Congregation.  Rev.  Bur- 
dett  Hart,  D.  D.,  of  Germantown,  made  the  Installation 
prayer. 

The  benediction  was  pronounced  by  the  newly  in- 
stalled pastor. 

The  Members  of  the  church  and  congregation  then 
warmly  welcomed  the  Pastor  and  his  wife,  after  which  a 
reception  was  tendered  them  in  the  lecture  room." 

The  church  was  burned  October  6th,  1895.  Among 
my  papers  I  find  my  own  account  written  at  the  time: — 

THE  BURNING  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

"Abington,  Pa.,  October  6,  1895. 

"This  morning  at  3  o'clock  I  was  awakened  by  the 
cry  of  Fire!  Fire!!  Fire!!! 

On  looking  out  of  the  south  window  in  the  room  oc- 
cupied by  one  of  my  daughters,  I  saw  a  light  on  the  south 
side  of  the  church,  and  remarked  to  her  "The  church  is 
on  fire. ' '  At  the  same  time  my  other  daughter  was  look- 
ing out  of  the  south  window  in  her  room  and  did  not  see 
any  light  from  the  west  end  of  the  church.  The  former  re- 
marked it  might  be  Lambert's.  I  said  it  was  not  Lam- 
bert's but  might  be  the  sheds.  Dressing  myself  very 
warmly,  and  as  expeditiously  as  such  preparation  would 


REV.   JOHN   R.    HENDERSON. 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  117 

permit,  I  proceeded  to  the  scene  of  the  conflagration.  As 
I  passed  out  of  our  place,  a  lady  across  the  way  remarked 
it  had  been  burning  twenty-five  minutes.  Meeting  Elder 
Jones,  he  inquired  the  direction  of  the  wind.  The  night 
was  the  most  magnificent  possible,  with  a  full  moon  in  the 
zenith ;  not  a  speck  of  a  cloud,  and  an  atmosphere  perfect- 
ly delightful,  and  only  a  moderate  wind  from  the  north- 
west. 

I  found  the  new  addition  wrapped  in  flames  on  the  in- 
side and  pouring  out  of  every  window.  At  this  time  there 
was  not  a  half  dozen  on  the  ground.  Soon  I  saw  Mr. 
Henderson  in  his  shirt-sleeves,  having  apparently  just 
come  from  the  southeast  of  the  building.  Others  now  ar- 
rived, and  soon  our  fire  apparatus.  The  desire  to  do  some- 
thing found  expression  in  breaking  two  of  the  windows 
on  the  south  side,  then  the  front  door  of  the  church  was 
opened  and  some  of  the  furniture  carried  out.  There  h»i- 
ing  no  water,  it  was  evident  that  the  building  was  doomed, 
and  any  effort  to  save  it  was  not  only  useless  but  perilous. 
So  we  stood  off  and  watched  the  progress  of  the  fire  until 
all  the  wood-work  was  consumed. 

Many  of  the  church  members  appeared  on  the  ground 
before  daylight ;  among  them  were  many  women. 

As  a  fire,  the  sight  was  beautiful  and  entrancing,  and 
when  the  flames  ascended  the  steeple,  it  was  magnificently 
indescribable. 

The  wind  continuing  favorable,  all  anxiety  about  the 
parsonage  passed  away,  although  every  preparation  of 
ladders  and  water,  so  far  as  it  could  be  obtained,  was 
made.  Our  own  well  gave  out  after  supplying  six  buck- 
ets full. 

Mr.  Henderson  was  the  first  to  go  up  on  the  parson- 
age roof  and  care  for  it. 

The  steeple  fell  about  5  o  'clock,  and  the  bell  soon  af- 
ter.     The  latter  broke  in  pieces  in  the  fall. 

While  the  fire  was  still  in  progress  some  of  the  Direct- 
ors of  the  public  school  offered  that  building  for  service 


118  HISTORY    OF 

to-day.      Announcement  of  this  fact  was  made  at  the  fire 
about  6  o  'clock. 

The  Jenkintown  fire  company  arrived  about  5  o'clock. 

In  our  own  household  in  the  early  stage  of  the  fire^ 
my  family  were  busy  packing  up  and  getting  such  val- 
uables as  we  had,  ready  to  be  removed  from  the  house  in 
case  the  fire  should  have  come  our  way,  which  it  certainly 
would  if  the  wind  had  been  south  or  southwest. 

As  to  the  origin  of  the  fire,  nothing  is  known.  The 
first  seen  was  by  a  motorman  on  an  electric  car  coming 
over  Edge  Hill,  and  as  he  came  through  the  town  he 
shouted  "Fire"  and  rang  his  bell.  When  he  got  to  the 
church  he  got  off  his  car  and  came  to  the  parsonage  to 
arouse  Mr.  Henderson,  which  he  did,  and  Mr.  Henderson 
quickly  putting  on  a  few  things,  they  both  went  to  the 
south  side  of  the  church  and  found  it  as  it  was  when  I  first 
saw  it,  which  was  about  the  same  time. 

About  8  o  'clock  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lambert  came  up.  Mrs. 
Lambert  called  to  see  if  we  were  all  well,  and  to  say  that, 
she  would  have  expected  us  to  come  to  their  house  if 
there  had  been  need. 

At  the  church  service  Mr.  Henderson  handled  the  cir- 
cumstances very  skillfully  and  had  texts  of  Scripture  that 
just  fitted  our  condition,  and  at  the  close  of  his  remarks 
urged  unity,  perseverance  and  courage,  and  the  deter- 
mination to  extract  a  blessing  from  the  providence.  He 
seemed  to  appreciate  the  opportunity,  and  gave  evidence 
of  being  able  to  use  it  wisely. 

The  walls  are  apparently  uninjured.  The  insurance 
is  about  $15,000. 

The  afternoon  is  lovely  and  crowds  of  people  are  now 
visiting  the  ruins.  Sabbath  school  is  being  held  in  the 
public  school  building. 

The  Trustees  and  Elders  are  to  meet  to-morrow  eve- 
ning at  Mr.  S.  F.  Bockius'  house  and  formulate  a  plan  for 
immediate  action. 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  119 

INCIDENTS. 

Many  persons,  among  them  Mrs.  Lambert,  Mrs. 
Boutclier,  Mrs.  Henderson,  Miss  Shelmire,  were  so  glad 
to  know  that  Mrs.  Baggs  was  away  from  home,  and  was 
not  subjected  to  the  shock.  It  carried  the  deepest  re- 
gard and  sympathy. 

Some  of  the  firemen  to  prevent  the  possibility  of  the 
fire  reaching  the  parsonage  cut  down  the  portcochere,  and 
tore  up  the  board  walk. 

The  view  from  our  house  is  scarcely  affected  because 
the  walls  (and  the  ivy  that  covers  the  walls  was  not  in- 
jured by  the  fire)  present  the  same  general  effect. 

As  you  walk  around  the  ruins,  the  effect  is  pictur- 
esque in  the  extreme. ' ' 

The  following  accounts  were  published  in  the  ' '  Pub- 
lic Ledger"  October  7th  and  8th,  1895:— 

"ABINGTON  CHURCH  BURNED 
"A  LANDMARK  ON  THE  OLD  YORK  ROAD  DESTROYED 

"NOTHING  BUT  THE  WALLS  STANDING 

'ONE  OF  THE  FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CONGREGATIONS 

"A  LOSS  OF  $25,000  WITH  $15,000  INSURANCE 

"PASTOR  HENDERSON'S  SERMON  TO  HIS  FOLDLESS  FLOCK" 

' '  The  Abington  Presbyterian  church,  the  home  of  the 
oldest  Presbyterian  congregation  in  Montgomery  county, 
for  more  than  a  century  a  landmark  on  the  Old  York  road, 
in  Abington  village,  a  mile  and  a  half  above  Jenkintown, 
was  destoyed  by  fire  early  yesterday  morning,  with  its 
contents.  Only  the  walls,  erected  nearly  100  years  ago 
are  left  standing.  The  fire  was  discovered  by  the  crew 
of  a  night  trolly  car  on  the  Old  York  road  line  of  the 
People's  Traction  Company  about  3.10  o'clock. 

Samuel  Yost,  the  motorman,  and  William  Kenny,  the 
conductor,  aroused  the  village  and  led  the  way  to  the 
church,  Yost  having  his  hair  singed  in  a  vain  effort  to 
save  the  Sunday  school  piano. 


120  HISTORY    OF 

UNABLE  TO  SAVE  THE  CHURCH. 

Unable  to  stop  the  flames,  the  crew  of  the  trolley  car 
sped  to  Jenkintown  and  gave  the  alarm.  The  fire  de- 
partment responded,  but  were  unable  to  do  more  than  pre- 
vent the  spread  of  the  flames  to  the  manse  beside  the 
church. 

The  fire  seemed  to  have  started  in  the  annex  at  the 
rear  of  the  church,  used  as  the  church  parlor  and  the 
Bible  class  room.  It  spread  rapidly  to  the  main  build- 
ing, and  about  4.30  o'clock  the  spire  fell,  carrying  down 
the  large  bell,  which  was  broken  into  pieces.  The  pipe 
organ,  Sunday  school  organ  and  piano,  the  library  and 
the  furniture  of  the  parlor  were  destroyed. 

By  diligent  efforts  the  pulpit  desk,  the  cushions  of 
the  pews  and  a  number  of  hymn  books  and  small  Bibles 
were  saved. 

The  loss  is  estimated  at  between  $25,000  and  $30,000, 
and  there  is  an  insurance  of  $15,000. 

Rev.  John  R.  Henderson,  the  pastor  of  the  church, 
who  was  installed  last  June,  lives  in  the  manse  about  100 
feet  from  the  church.  His  first  knowledge  of  the  fire  was 
the  shouts  of  the  night  crew  which  awakened  him. 

Nearly  all  the  men  of  Abington  village  and  a  number 
of  farmers  bound  into  Philadelphia  with  produce  did 
what  they  could  to  save  the  church,  but  the  annex  build- 
ing was  like  a  furnace  when  they  reached  it. 

INCENDIARISM  SUSPECTED. 

The  origin  of  the  fire  is  not  known.  Incendiarism  is 
suspected  by  some,  who  refer  to  the  two  attempts  to  burn 
the  Methodist  church  at  Willow  Grove  about  two  weeks 
ago. 

There  had  been  fire  in  one  of  the  heaters  located  a 
short  distance  from  the  place  the  fire  broke  out  all  of  last 
week,  but  on  Saturday  both  heaters  were  overhauled  by  a 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  121 

firm  of  plumbers  from  Jenkintown,  and  the  fire  was  built 
fresh  Saturday  afternoon. 

Many  think  the  flames  were  started  by  a  defective 
flue  and  smouldered  for  several  hours. 

AN  APPROPRIATE  SERMON. 

This  morning  Pastor  Henderson  gathered  his  flock 
together  in  the  Abington  school  house,  nearly  opposite 
the  church.  He  had  a  congregation  of  about  150  persons, 
and  they  took  a  most  hopeful,  encouraging  view  of  the  sit- 
uation. 

Mr.  Henderson  preached  an  appropriate  sermon.  His 
text  was  Isaiah  LXIV,  II:  "Our  holy  and  beautiful  house, 
where  our  fathers  praised  Thee,  is  burned  up  with  fire, 
and  all  our  beautiful  things  are  laid  waste."  A  second 
text  was  Nehemiah  II,  17  and  18. 

"Then  I  said  unto  them,  ye  see  the  distress  that  we 
are  in;  how  Jerusalem  lietli  waste  and  the  gates  are  burn- 
ed with  fire;  come,  let  us  build  up  the  wall  of  Jerusalem, 
that  we  be  no  more  a  reproach. 

"Then  I  told  them  of  the  hand  of  my  God,  which  was 
good  unto  me;  as  also  the  King's  words,  that  He  had 
spoken  unto  me.  And  they  said,  Let  us  rise  up  and 
build;  so  they  strengthened  their  hands  for  this  good 
work. ' ' 

TO  REBUILD  AT  ONCE. 

Following  a  sermon  which  put  encouragement  into 
the  heart  of  every  member  of  the  congregation,  there  was 
a  conference  and  the  Trustees  of  the  church  were  support- 
ed in  the  movement  to  rebuild  at  once. 

This  evening  there  will  be  a  meeting  of  the  Elders 
and  Trustees  to  consider  plans  for  rebuilding.  It  is 
thought  the  walls  of  the  main  building,  which  are  said  to 
be  nearly  100  years  old,  can  be  used  again. 

It  will  be  necessary  to  raise  from  $5000  to  $10,000  in 


122  HISTORY    OF 

addition  to  the  insurance  to  build  the  proposed  new  struc- 
ture. 

The  burned  library  contained  a  number  of  very  old 
books  of  considerable  value." 

"Public  Ledger"  "October  8,  1895." 

"TO  REBUILD  ABINGTON  CHURCH 

"IT  IS  PROPOSED  TO  RETAIN  THE  OLD  WALLS  IN  THE  NEW 
"STRUCTURE" 

"A  meeting  of  the  Pastor,  Board  of  Trustees  and  El- 
ders of  the  Abington  Presbyterian  church,  Montgomery 
county,  which  was  destroyed  by  fire  early  Sunday  morn- 
ing, was  held  last  evening  to  consider  plans  for  immediate 
rebuilding. 

The  conference  was  held  at  the  house  of  S.  F.  Bock- 
ius,  President  of  the  Board,  and  there  were  present,  in  ad- 
dition to  Squire  Bockius,  J.  Milton  Colton,  secretary; 
Frank  K.  Fenton,  treasurer;  Kline  Van  Winkle,  T.  E.  Du- 
bree,  E.  T.  Noe,  Isaac  H.  Raab,  Henry  Morris,  Henry  B. 
Neely,  Elders  Albert  R.  Mann,  John  C.  Hunter  and  Rob- 
erts Stevenson  and  Rev.  John  R.  Henderson,  pastor  of  the 
church. 

It  was  decided  to  begin  rebuilding  the  church  at  once, 
retaining  if  possible  the  walls  of  the  old  building,  the 
stability  of  which  is  thought  to  have  been  impaired  very 
little,  so  as  to  preserve  the  architecture  of  the  structure. 
The  interior  arrangements  will,  however,  be  considerably 
modified. 

A  Gothic  roof  will  be  put  on,  and  the  seats  will  be  ar- 
ranged in  the  form  of  an  ampitheatre.  The  platform  will 
be  brought  forward  and  a  space  left  behind  it  for  the  erec- 
tion of  a  pipe  organ,  in  front  of  which  will  be  arranged  the 
choir  seats.  At  a  rough  estimate  it  is  expected  the  total 
outlay  will  be  about  $15,000  to  $20,000. 

Ofi^ers  to  furnish  a  home  for  the  congregation  until 
the  church  is  rebuilt  have  been  received  from  the  Grace 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  123 

Presbyterian  church  of  Jenkintown,  the  Willow  Grove 
Methodist  church,  Edge  Hill  Presbyterian  church,  and  St. 
Peter's  Episcopal  church,  Weldon. 

It  has  been  decided,  however,  that  the  congregation, 
which  numbers  about  215  communicants,  shall  remain  in 
Abington,  and  it  is  very  probable  that  arrangements  will 
be  made  with  the  Board  of  public  school  directors,  which 
has  already  offered  the  school  house  to  the  Trustees  for 
holding  services  in  that  building  on  Sunday  morning  and 
evening. 

Already  subscriptions  to  the  building  fund  have 
been  started,  and  among  others  yesterday,  was  a  contribu- 
tion of  $1000  by  a  gentleman,  not  a  member  of  the  church, 
who  said  he  gave  it  to  help  preserve  as  far  as  possible  a 
structure,  so  historically  notable  as  the  Ledger's  account 
of  the  church  showed  it  to  be. 

It  is  generally  thought  that  the  fire  originated  from 
the  electric  light  wires  which  were  put  in  the  church  in 
April  1891,  at  the  time  the  galleries  in  the  buildings  were 
taken  out.  The  only  other  theory  is  that  it  was  started 
by  incendiarism,  as  the  heaters  were  not  in  the  building, 
although  near  the  place  where  it  is  surmised  the  fire  broke 
out." 

The  church  was  rebuilt,  and  on  September  30,  1896 
was  re-dedicated.      The  following  program  was  used: — 

1714  1896 

ABINGTON  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH. 
ABINGTON,  PA. 

Founded   1714 

Rebuilt    1793 

Enlarged     1833 

Eebuilt    1866 

Destroyed  by  Fire  1895 

Rebuilt    1896 

Re-Dedicated September  30, 1896 


124  HISTORY    OF 

PASTORS. 

Malachi  Jones  1714—1729 

Richard  Treat,  D.  D 1731—1778 

William  M.  Tennent,  D.  D., 1781—1810 

William  Dunlap   1812—1818 

Robert  Steel,  D.  D., 1819—1862 

J.  L.  Withrow,  D.  D., 1863—1868 

Samuel  T.  Lowrie,  D.  D., 1869—1874 

L.  W.  Eckard,  D.  D 1874—1891 

Llewellyn  S.  Fulmer 1892—1894 

John  R.  Henderson 1895— 

ORDER  OF  SERVICES. 

2.30  P.  M. 
Organ  prelude,  E.  Batiste,  -        Mr.  Frank  E.  North 

Anthem  -         Ashbourne  Presbyterian  Church  Choir 

Invocation  and  the  Lord's  Prayer  in  concert 
Hymn    No.  4         -         -         -         -         "Old  Hundred'' 
Reading  of  Scripture 
Prayer 
Soprano  solo,  ''I  Will  Extol  Thee,"  Costa 

Miss  Elsie  M.  North 
Sermon  -         -  -       Rev.  L.  W.  Eckard,  D.  D. 

Offertory,  Th.  Salome,  -  -      Mr.  Frank  E.  North 

Report  of  the  Building  Committee 

J.  Milton  Colton,  Treasurer 
Transfer  of  keys  by  chairman  of  Building  Committee  to 
Trustees. 

DEDICATORY  SERVICES. 

1.  Te  Deum  Choir 

2.  Scripture    Pastor 

3.  People  and  Pastor  will  say  in  unison; 

This  house,  which  we  have  been  permitted  to  build 
through  the  gracious  favor  of  Divine  Providence,  we 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  125 

do  now  solemnly  dedicate  to  tlie  worship  and  service 
of  Almighty  God.  The  Father,  The  Son,  and  The  Holy 
Ghost.    Amen. 

4.  Gloria  in  Excelsis. 

5.  Dedicatory  prayer,  by  Rev.  Alex.  Henry,  Moderator  of 

Presbytery. 
Hymn  No.  375,        -        -      ''I  Love  Thy  Kingdom  Lord" 
Brief  addresses    Rev.  S.  A.  Mutchmore,  D.  D.,  and  others 
Organ  solo,  "Pilgrim  Song  of  Hope,"  E.  Batiste 

Mr.  Frank  E.  North 
Brief  addresses 
Benediction 

Organists:  Mr.  Frank  E.  North,  Abington  Presbyter- 
ian church;  Miss  Harmer,  Ashbourne  Presbyterian 
church. 

The  interval  between  the  services  will  be  devoted  to 
social  interchange,  instrumental  and  vocal  music  and  the 
serving  of  refreshments. 

ORDER  OF  SERVICES. 

7.30  P.  M. 
Organ  prelude,  "Processional  March"  -       Guilmant 

Invocation 

Hymn  No.  964         -        ' '  The  Church 's  One  Foundation ' ' 
Scripture  and  prayer 
Soprano  solo,  "The  Holy  City"  Adams 

Miss  Elsie  M.  North 
Address  -  -  -  Rev.  Llewellyn  S.  Fulmer 

Offertory,  "Evening  Star"  (Tannhaeuser),  Wagner;  "In 

the  Morning,"  (Peer  Gynt),  Grieg. 
Address,  Music  in  the  Sanctuary 

Rev.  C.  P.  H.  Nason,  D.  D. 
Organ  solo,  ' '  Chorus  of  Angels ' '  -  Scotson  Clark 

Quartette,  "In  Heavenly  Love  Abiding," 

Ashbourne  Presbyterian  Church  Choir 


126  HISTORY    OF 

Address         _         .         _  Rev.  Charles  R.  Erdman 

Hymn  No.  597,  -  "Blest  be  the  Tie  That  Binds" 

Addresses      -        Rev.  Richard  Montgomery  and  others 
Organ,  "Fragment  Symphonique, "  -  Lemaigre 

Selection,  "Lovest  Thou  Me," 

Ashbourne  Presbyterian  Church  Choir 
Doxology 
Benediction 

The  organ  solos  by  Mr.  Harold  N.  Nason,  organist  of 
the  First  Presbyterian  church,  Germantown,  Philadelphia. 

MEMBERS  OF  SESSION. 

Rev.  John  R.  Henderson. 
Elders — George  Y.  Mann, 
Albert  R.  Mann, 
John  C.  Hunter, 
James  Van  Horn, 
Roberts  Stevenson. 

MEMBERS  OF  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES. 

*Samuel  F.  Bockius,  President, 
Frank  K.  Fenton,  Treasurer, 
J.  Milton  Colton,  Secretary, 
Henry  Morris, 
Isaac  Raab, 
Kline  Van  Winkle, 
T.  Elwood  Dubree, 
Harry  B.  Neely, 
Edward  T.  Noe. 
*  Deceased. 


NEMBERS  OE  BUILDING  COMMITTEE. 

Rev.  John  R.  Henderson,  Chairman. 
J.  Milton  Colton,  Treasurer. 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  127 

Eoberts  Stevenson,  Secretary. 
T.  Elwood  Dubree, 
Harry  B.  Neely. 


EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE  ON  ENTERTAINMENT. 

Mrs.  John  C.  Hunter, 
Mrs.  Roberts  Stevenson, 
Mrs.  Harry  S.  Ambler, 
Miss  Margaret  V.  Bockius. 

' '  The  following  is  the  report  of  the  church  for  the 
year  ending  April  1st,  1897: — 

Number  of  Elders 5 

' '  ' '     Deaconesses    1 

"         added  on  examination  11 

''         added  by  certificate 5 

Total  communicants 225 

Adult  Baptisms 2 

Infant  Baptisms   6 

S.  S.  membership  142 

FUNDS  CONTRIBUTED. 

Foreign  Missions $     318  00 

Home  Missions 553  00 

Education    22  00 

S.  S.  work 31  00 

Church  erection 51  00 

Relief  fund   149  00 

Freedmen    17  00 

Synodical  sustentation 65  00 

Aid  for  Colleges   30  00 

General  Assembly  22  50 

Congregational 12,257  00 

Miscellaneous    154  00 


428  HISTORY    OF 

September  18,  1897,  we  relinquished  our  control  of 
the  property  of  Grace  church  at  Jenkintown,  as  per  fol- 
lowing extract  from  Minutes  of  Session : — 

Abington,  Pa.,  September  18,  1897. 

''First  order  of  business  was  the  resignation  of  Rev. 
Dr.  Samuel  T.  Lowrie  and  Mr.  John  Wanamaker  as  Trus- 
tees to  hold  Title  under  Deed  of  Trust  to  a  certain  prop- 
erty in  Jenkintown  known  as  the  Grace  Presbyterian 
church,  which  action  was  deferred  by  Session  at  a  pre- 
vious meeting  held  June  16,  1897.  On  motion,  the  resig- 
nations of  Rev.  Dr.  Lowrie  and  John  Wanamaker,  Esq., 
were  accepted  with  regret,  and  Elder  James  Van  Horn,  of 
Abington  Presbyterian  church  and  Dr.  W.  A.  Cross,  of 
Jenkintown,  a  member  and  Trustee  of  Grace  Presbyterian 
church,  Jenkintown,  were  unanimously  elected  to  fill  said 
vacancies.  The  clerk  was  requested  to  notify  all  parties 
in  interest  of  the  action  of  Session.  *         *         * 

A  meeting  of  the  Communicants  was  called  for  Jan- 
uary 13,  1898,  for  the  purpose  of  electing  additional  El- 
ders. But  the  result  of  the  meeting  showed  the  Com- 
municants were  not  ready  at  this  time  to  add  to  the  Elder- 
ship. 

The  minutes  of  Session  December  4th,  1898  show  the 
following: — "*  *  *"  "The  Clerk  of  Session  presented 
the  following  citation  from  Presbytery,  Philadelphia 
North— 

(Copy)  Ashbourne,  Pa.,  November  21,  1898. 
To  the  Session  of  Abington  Church : 

Dear  Brethren: — At  a  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  of 
Philadelphia  North  held  November  8th,  your  Pastor,  Rev. 
John  R.  Henderson,  gave  notice  of  his  intention  to  ask  for 
the  release  of  his  pastoral  relation  to  take  effect  March 
1st,  1899. 

By  direction  of  Presbytery,  Abington  church  is  here- 
by cited  to  appear  by  Commissioners  at  the  next  meeting 
of  Presbytery,  January    10th,  1899,  at    1.30  p.  m.  in  the 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  129 

Witlierspoon    Building,  Philadelphia,  to  show  cause,  if 
any  they  have,  why  this  dissolution  should  not  be  effected. 

Fraternally, 
(Signed)  Eichard  Montgomery, 

Stated  Clerk." 
Eev.  Mr.  Henderson  at  this  time  (1911)  is  preaching 
at  Georgetown,  Delaware. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

REV.  WILLIAM  SCOTT  NEVIN.  1900-1903. 
NOTE. 

''A  meeting  of  the  Congregation  was  held  this  21st 
day  of  May  1899,  at  4  o  'clock  jj.  m.  pursuant  to  a  call  reg- 
ularly read  from  the  pulpit  for  two  successive  Sabbaths. 
Twenty  minutes'  devotional  exercises  preceded  the  meet- 
ing, after  which  the  meeting  was  called  to  order  by  the 
Moderator  of  Session,  Rev.  Richard  Montgomery,  Elder 
Roberts  Stevenson,  Clerk  of  Session,  acted  as  Secretary. 
The  call  of  the  meeting  was  read  by  the  Secretary. 

Previous  to  the  question  being  asked  "Are  you  ready 
to  elect  a  Pastor"  the  Moderator  made  some  remarks  and 
asked  the  privilege  of  presenting  the  name  of  a  former 
pastor  of  the  Church,  speaking  in  the  warmest  terms  of 
his  love  for  the  church,  his  past  work  here,  etc.  The  con- 
gregation being  ready  to  elect  a  Pastor,  the  name  of  Rev. 
Leighton  W.  Eckard,  D.  D.,  of  Easton,  Pa.,  was  presented, 
and  he  was  unanimously  elected  Pastor  of  the  church,  the 
Secretary  casting  a  ballot  for  the  meeting. 

Rev.  Richard  Montgomery  was  requested  to  go  to 
Easton  and  inform  Dr.  Eckard  of  his  election,  the  Trus- 
tees paying  the  expenses  of  Mr.  Montgomery. 

' '  On  motion,  adjourned,  after  Benediction. 

(Signed)  Roberts  Stevenson, 

Secretary. ' ' 

Rev.  Leighton  W.  Eckard,  D.  D.,  did  not  see  his  way 
clear  to  accept  this  call. 

(130) 


REV.   WILLIAM    SCOTT   NEVIN. 


HISTORY  OF  ABINGTON  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH    131 

Extract  from  Minutes  of  Session,  May  20,  1899:— 
*  *  *     *     *     *  '  *  On  motion  it  was  unanimously  agreed, 
with  the  consent  of  the  Board  of  Trustees    to  lend  the 
Communion  Table,  formerly  in  the  Church,  to  the  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Olney. ' ' 

NOTE. 

Abington,  Pa.,  November  1, 1899 

*' A  meeting  of  the  Congregation  was  held  at  half -past 
seven,  pursuant  to  a  call  regularly  read  for  two  consecu- 
tive Sabbaths. 

' '  The  Moderator  of  Session  presided,  and  the  Clerk 
of  Session  acted  as  secretary. 

' '  The  call  of  the  meeting  was  read.  The  Moderator 
asked  if  they  were  ready  to  go  into  an  election  for  a  Pas- 
tor. Ayes  24;  Nays  18;  carried.  Before  going  into  an 
election  the  Moderator  asked  that  the  salary  be  fixed  and 
the  amount  placed  in  the  call.  The  salary  was  fixed  at 
$1200  per  annum  payable  monthly;  the  Manse,  stables, 
garden  and  grounds  attached  for  the  use  of  the  Pastor. 
Nominations  were  then  in  order. 

Eev.  George  Furniss,  West  Branch,  Iowa;  Rev.  Wil- 
liam A.  Edie,  Connellsville,  Pa.,  and  Eev.  George  H. 
Browning,  Wissinoming,  Philadelphia,  were  placed  in 
nomination.  A  ballot  was  taken.  Mr.  Fumiss  received 
12  votes,  Mr.  Edie  11  votes,  Mr.  Browning  26  votes. 
Blanks  6.  Necessary  to  a  choice  28  votes  were  required. 
There  being  no  election  a  motion  to  adjourn  prevailed.. 
The  Moderator  closed  with  the  Benediction. 

(Signed)  Roberts  Stevenson, 

Secretary. ' ' 

NOTE. 

*'A  meeting  of  the  Congregation  was  held  this  Tues- 
day afternoon,  January  23rd,  1900,  at  4  o'clock,  in  the 
chapel,  due  notice  having  been  given.      Fifteen  minutes 


132  HISTORY    OF 

devotional  exercises  preceded,  led  by  the  Moderator  of 
Session,  Rev.  Richard  Montgomery,  after  which  the  Mod- 
erator called  the  meeting  to  order  and  requested  the  Clerk 
to  read  the  call  of  the  meeting,  as  follows: — 
"A  Meeting  of  the  Congregation  will  be  held  on  Tuesday,, 
January  23rd,  1900,  at  4  p.  m.,  in  the  chapel,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  electing  a  Pastor,  if  the  way  be  clear.  By  order 
of  Session. ' ' 

The  Moderator  first  asked  if  the  congregation  were 
ready  to  elect  a  Pastor.  The  vote  was  unanimous.  The 
Moderator  then  said  before  going  into  an  election,  the  sal- 
ary should  be  fixed.  Mr.  Henry  Morris,  President  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees,  suggested  $1200  payable  in  regular 
monthly  payments,  also  the  free  use  of  the  Manse,  stable 
and  grounds  attached  to  the  church;  also  a  vacation  of 
four  weeks  in  the  summer.  Nominations  were  in  order. 
Rev.  W.  Scott  Nevin,  of  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia, 
was  the  only  nominee,  and,  a  vote  being  taken,  Mr.  Nevin 
was  declared  elected.  The  call  was  signed  by  all  the  El- 
ders except  one  who  was  unable  to  be  present,  also  by  the 
members  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  one  only  being  absent. 
The  moderator  appointed  Mr.  Van  Horn,  Mr.  Hamel  and 
Mr.  Stewart  as  Commissioners  to  Presbytery  to  present 
the  call.  After  singing  the  Doxology  the  Moderator  clos- 
ed with  the  benediction. 

(Signed)  Roberts  Stevenson, 

Secretary. ' ' 

NOTE. 

''Abington,  March  15th,  1900. 
'  *  The  installation  of  Rev.  W.  Scott  Nevin  took  place 
in  the  Abington  Presbyterian  church  this  evening  at  8 
o'clock  by  order  of  Presbytery. 

The  Moderator  of  Presbytery,  Rev.  W.  K.  Preston,  of 
Hartsville,  being  prevented  from  attending.  Rev.  Richard 
Montgomery,  of  Ashbourne,  presided,  and  propounded  the 
constitutional  questions  to  the  Pastor.  The  Rev.  W.  Port- 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  133 

er  Lee,  of  Westside  Presbyterian  Church,  Germantown, 
preached  the  sermon.  Rev.  S.  H.  Doyle,  of  Falls  of  Schuyl- 
kill, delivered  the  charge  to  the  Pastor,  and  Rev.  Richard 
Montgomery  delivered  the  charge  to  the  people.  Rev. 
John  Nichols  offered  prayer,  and  the  Benediction  was  pro- 
nounced by  the  Pastor.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  installa- 
tion services,  the  members  of  the  Church  and  congrega- 
tion welcomed  the  Pastor  and  his  wife. 

(Signed)  Roberts  Stevenson,  Clerk." 

Extract  from  Minutes  April  8th,  1900,  •**  *  *  * 
The  Narrative  of  the  Church  was  presented  and  approved 
and  ordered  to  be  forwarded  to  the  Committee  on  Narra- 
tives and  a  copy  of  same  spread  on  the  records. ' ' 

Narrative  of  the  Church  of  Abington  to  the    Presbytery   of    Philadelphia 

North. 

The  most  important  thing  to  note  on  behalf  of  the  Ab- 
ington Presbyterian  Church  is  that  (as  is  known  to  your 
Committee)  the  Church  has  been  without  a  Pastor  a  little 
over  a  year.  This  has,  in  the  nature  of  the  case,  affected 
all  departments  of  the  Church  work  in  a  greater  or  lesser 
degree. 

I.  The  Congregation  has  been  supplied  with  preach- 
ing throughout  the  year,  and,  with  the  qualification  stat- 
ed above,  the  attendance,  including  that  of  the  youth  of 
the  congregation,  has  been  encouraging. 

II.  The  condition  of  the  Sabbath  school  continues 
good,  the  usual  helps  and  the  Shorter  Catechism  are  used. 

III.  A  weekly  Church  Prayer  Meeting  and  also  a 
weekly  Christian  Endeavor  Society  prayer  meeting  are 
held. 

IV.  We  believe,  so  far  as  we  can  learn,  parents  are 
generally  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  their  duties. 

V.  There  has  been  no  revival,  but  we  are  glad  to  ac- 
knowledge the  addition  of  3  persons  to  the  church  on  pro- 
fession of  faith  since  the  dissolution  of  the  pastoral  rela- 


134  HISTORY    OF 

tions.  During  all  these  montlis,  however,  the  interest  of 
the  church  has  continued;  although  naturally  some  little 
friction  has  occurred,  harmony  has  prevailed. 

Three  calls  for  a  congregational  meeting  have  been  is- 
sued during  the  past  year.  The  first  meeting  extended  a 
unanimous  call  to  our  former  pastor,  Rev.  L.  W.  Eckard, 
D.  D.,  Easton,  Pa.,  which  was  reluctantly  declined.  The 
second  congregational  meeting  held  resulted  in  no  choice 
of  a  Pastor.  The  Third  congregational  meeting  March  15, 
1900,  resulted  in  the  election  of  our  present  Pastor,  Rev. 
W.  Scott  Nevin.  During  all  these  meetings  the  utmost 
harmony  prevailed.  We  are  glad  to  say  that  our  Church 
is  united  and  we  look  hopefully  and  confidently  forward 
anticipating  a  happy  future  for  our  beloved  Pastor  and 
family  and  the  Church,  both  spiritually  and  temporally. 
By  order  of  Session 
(Sgd)  Roberts  Stevenson,  Clerk. 
Extract  from  Minutes  April  28, 1901. ''  *  *  *  * 
The  Pastor  referred  to  the  death  of  Elder  George  Y. 
Mann,  and  on  motion  duly  seconded  the  following  was 
unanimously  adopted: 

WHEREAS :  It  has  pleased  Almighty  God  to  take  to 
himself  our  brother  George  Y.  Mann,  Senior  Elder  of  this 
Session,  And  whereas  acknowledging  His  right  and  wis- 
dom, we  humbly  bow  to  His  will,  knowing  that  He  always 
does  just  what  is  right,  and  therefore  be  it  resolved  that 
as  a  Session  we  recognize  the  loss  of  one  whose  life  has 
been  a  beautiful  type  of  Christian  simplicity  and  strong 
faith,  whose  example  is  worthy  of  emulation. 

Resolved  that  as  a  token  of  our  love  for  our  departed 
Brother,  there  be  spread  on  our  Minutes  our  appreciation 
of  his  long  years  of  service  as  a  member  of  the  church 
and  ruling  Elder,  being  ordained  as  Elder  July  7th,  1861. 
Died  January  11th,  1901." 

The  following  is  the  annual  report  of  the  Church  to 
the  Presbytery  for  the  year  ending  April  1902 : — 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  135 

Elders 4 

Deaconess 1 

Added  on  Examination 4 

Added  on  Certificate 4 

Dismissed  by  Certificate 2 

Deceased 0 

Net  total  of  Communicants 200 

Baptism,   Adults    2 

Baptism,  Infants 4 

Sabbath  School  Membership 135 

FUNDS  CONTRIBUTED. 

Tlome  Missions $1,018  00 

Foreign  Missions 381  00 

Education    72  00 

Sabbath  School  Work 185  00 

Church  Erection 52  00 

Relief   Fund  283  00 

Freedmen    68  00 

Synodical   Aid  52  00 

Aid  for  Colleges 53  00 

General  Assembly 11  64 

Congregational 5,128  00 

Miscellaneous   550  00 

Extract  from  Minutes  of  October  18th,  1903:— 
"  *  *  *  *  The  first  order  of  business  was  the  elec- 
tion of  a  Committee  under  the  resolution  passed  at  the 
last  meeting  of  Congregation  held  April  2nd,  1903.  The 
Pastor  presented  to  the  Session  the  resolution.  Elder 
John  C.  Hunter  proposed  the  following  members  of  the 
church  to  be  known  hereafter  as  the  Historical  Commit- 
tee, with  full  power  to  act.  Mr.  Nicholas  Baggs,  Mr. 
Frank  K.  Fenton  and  Mr.  George  Hamel.  A  vote  being 
taken,  they  were  unanimously  elected,  and  the  Clerk  was 
instructed  to  notify  the  Committee  through  its  Chairman, 
Mr.  Baggs. 


136  HISTORY    OF 

^'Tlie  Pastor  then  informed  tlie  Session  that  he  had 
preached  as  a  candidate  in  the  Cohocksink  Presbyterian 
Church,  Philadelphia,  and  that  he  had  since  received  a  nn- 
animous  call  to  said  Church  and  would  hold  same  under 
consideration. 

On  motion  adjourned  after  prayer  by  Elder  Hunter. 
(Signed)  Roberts  Stevenson,  Clerk. 

NOTE. 

Minutes  of  a  Congregational  Meeting  of  Abington 
Presbyterian  Church  held  on  Wednesday  evening,  Octob- 
er 28th,  1903  at  8  o'clock  in  the  Chapel.  Called  by  the 
Session  on  Sabbath  morning,  October  25th,  1903  to  consid- 
er the  resignation  of  our  Pastor,  Rev.  W.  Scott  Nevin. 

' '  Clerk  of  Session  Roberts  Stevenson  called  the  meet- 
ing to  order  and  on  motion  Elder  John  C.  Hunter  was  call- 
ed to  the  Chair.  On  motion  Mr.  J.  M.  Colton  was  elect- 
ed secretary  of  the  meeting. 

''The  chairman  stated  that  the  Pastor  had  handed  his 
resignation  to  the  Session  and  on  motion  duly  seconded  it 
was  Resolved :  That  this  congregation  accept  the  resigna- 
tion of  Rev.  W.  Scott  Nevin  as  Pastor  of  this  Church. 

"On  motion  it  was  Resolved  that  the  Chairman  ap- 
point Commissioners  to  Presbytery  to  unite  with  the  Pas- 
tor in  asking  for  a  dissolution. 

' '  The  Chair  appointed  Elder  Roberts  Stevenson  to 
represent  the  Session,  Trustee  J.  M.  Colton  to  represent 
the  Trustees,  Mr.  Nicholas  Baggs  to  represent  the  Congre- 
gation. 

"Mr.  Colton,  Elders  Hunter  and  Stevenson  made  a 
few  remarks  expressing  their  regret  and  the  regret  of  the 
congregation  that  Mr.  Nevin  had  seen  best  to  resign  his 
Pastorate,  stating  that  all  their  relations  with  him  during 
nearly  four  years  had  been  uniformly  affectionate  and 
kindly. 

On  motion  Mr.  Hunter  and  Mr.  Hamel  were  appointed 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  137 

a  Committee  to  draught  a  Kesolution  of  affection  and  re- 
gret at  the  severance  of  our  Pastoral  relations,  and  to  send 
a  copy  of  the  same  to  Mr.  Nevin. 
' '  On  motion  adjourned. 

(Signed)  J.  M.  Colton, 
Secretary  of  Meeting. ' ' 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
REV.  JAMES  WILSON  WILLIAMS,  1904- 

' '  A  congregational  meeting  was  held  this  19th  day  of 
January,  1904  at  4  o'clock  p.  m.,  pursuant  to  a  call  reg- 
ularly read  from  the  pulpit  for  two  successive  Sabbaths. 

"Fifteen  minutes  devotional  exercises  preceded  the 
meeting,  after  which  the  meeting  was  called  to  order  by 
the  Moderator,  Eev.  Richard  Montgomery.  Elder  Rob- 
erts Stevenson,  Clerk  of  Session  acted  as  Secretary.  The 
call  for  the  meeting  was  read  by  the  Secretary  as  follows : 
"A  meeting  of  this  congregation  will  be  held  on  Tuesday, 
January  19th,  1904  at  4  p.  m.  in  the  Chapel  to  elect  a  Pas- 
tor if  the  way  be  clear.      By  order  of  Session. ' ' 

"The  Moderator  first  asked  the  congregation  if  they 
were  ready  to  go  into  an  election  for  a  pastor.  The  vote 
was  unanimous  in  the  affirmative. 

"Nominations  were  now  in  order.  Mr.  J.  Milton 
Colton  nominated  Rev.  Jas.  W.  Williams  and  spoke  in  fa- 
vor of  the  nominee,  followed  by  Mr.  Baggs  and  Mrs.  H.  C. 
Roberts.  There  being  no  other  nominations,  on  motion 
the  nominations  closed.  The  Clerk  was  unanimously  re- 
quested to  cast  a  ballot.  The  Tellers  appointed  were  Mr. 
Nicholas  Baggs  and  Mr.  Harold  B.  McFarland.  They  re- 
ceived the  ballot  from  the  Clerk  and  announced  the  vote 
was  unanimous  in  favor  of  the  Rev.  James  W.  Williams 
as  Pastor  of  the  Abington  Church.  The  call  was  signed 
by  the  Elders  and  Trustees. 

Commissioners  appointed  to  present  the  call  before 
Presbytery  were  as  follows: — 

To  represent  the  Session;  Elder  John  C.  Hunter. 

(138) 


HISTORY  OF  ABINGTON  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH    139 

To  represent  the  Board  of  Trustees,  James  P.  McFar- 
land. 

To  represent  tlie  congregation,  Harold  B.  McFarland. 
The  Moderator  closed  the  meeting  with  the  benedic- 
tion. 

(Signed)  Roberts  Stevenson, 

Secretary. ' ' 

NOTE. 

A  meeting  of  the  Communicant  members  of  this 
church  was  held  in  compliance  to  the  call  read  for  two 
successive  Sabbaths,  as  follows: — 

' '  A  meeting  of  the  Communicant  members  of  this 
Church  will  be  held  in  the  Chapel  on  February  2nd  (Tues- 
day) at  4  o'clock  p.  m.,  for  the  purpose  of  electing  addi- 
tional Elders,  if  the  way  be  clear.  By  order  of  Session. 
Roberts  Stevenson,  Clerk." 

In  compliance  with  the  above  call,  a  meeting  of  the 
communicant  members  of  the  Abington  Presbyterian 
Church  met  at  the  above  time  and  place. 

Rev.  Richard  Montgomery,  Moderator,  in  the  Chair. 
The  Moderator  read  the  51st  Psalm  and  led  in  prayer. 

On  motion  duly  seconded  and  passed,  Mr.  Nicholas 
Baggs  was  elected  secretary  of  the  meeting. 

The  call  was  then  formerly  read,  and  the  meeting  de- 
clared ready  for  business.  The  following  were  nominat- 
ed by  the  Session  for  additional  Elders: — 

J.  Milton  Colton, 

George  Hamel,  Jr. 

Harry  H.  Fox, 

There  being  no  further  nominations  the  secretary  was 
instructed  to  cast  one  ballot  for  each  of  the  candidates. 
The  following  were  appointed  Tellers  to  conduct  the  elec- 
tion : — 

Frank  Bockius, 

Charles  A.  Ambler. 


140  HISTORY    OF 

The  ballot  was  read  and  the  nominees  were  declared 
duly  elected. 

There  being  no  further  business,  the  meeting  adjourn- 
ed with  benediction  by  the  Moderator. 

(Signed)  Nicholas  Baggs, 

Secretary. ' ' 

NOTE. 

The  Rev.  James  W.  Williams  was  formally  installed 
Pastor  of  the  Abington  Presbyterian  church  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  North  on 
Tuesday  evening,  February  23rd,  1904. 

Rev.  C.  C.  Tyler,  Pastor  of  Trinity  Presbyterian 
Church,  Chestnut  Hill,  acted  as  Moderator. 

The  services  began  with  an  organ  prelude  which  was 
followed  by  an  anthem  by  the  Choir  of  the  Second  Pres- 
byterian Church,  Philadelphia,  "Dudley  Buck's  Festival 
Te  Deum."  The  congregation  then  joined  in  the  singing 
of  a  hymn  appropriate  to  the  occasion.  Rev.  C.  C.  Tyler, 
the  Acting  Moderator  then  offered  prayer.  The  Scrip- 
ture lesson  was  read  by  Rev.  William  Tatlock,  followed 
by  a  vocal  solo,  Verne's  ''Shepherd  King."  This  was 
followed  by  a  sermon  by  the  Rev.  Charles  Wood,  D.  D., 
Pastor  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church,  of  Philadel- 
phia, with  whom  Mr.  Williams  was  formerly  co-pastor. 
Theme— "The  Church." 

The  sermon  was  followed  by  another  vocal  solo  "En- 
treat me  not  to  leave  Thee. ' ' 

The  charge  to  the  people  was  given  by  Rev.  William 
Porter  Lee,  of  West  Side  Presbyterian  Church,  German- 
town.  The  charge  to  the  Pastor  by  Rev.  Alexander 
Henry,  of  Hermon  Presbyterian  Church,  Frankford, 
Philadelphia.  The  installation  prayer  by  the  Rev.  Rich- 
ard Montgomery,  Pastor  of  the  Ashbourne  Presbyterian 
Church. 

After  singing  the  hymn  "Blest  be  the  tie  that  binds," 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  141 

the  benediction  was  pronounced  by  the  Pastor,  Rev.  James 
W.  Williams,  after  which  the  members  of  the  church  and 
friends  shook  hands  and  cordially  welcomed  the  newly  in- 
stalled Pastor." 

NOTE. 

The  following  is  the  annual  report  of  the  Church  to 
the  Presbytery  for  the  year  ending  April  1904: — 

Elders    7 

Admitted  on  Examination 0 

Admitted  on  Certificate 3 

Dismissed  by  Certificate   1 

Eeserve  Roll  60 

Deceased 2 

Net  total  of  Communicants 140 

Baptism,  Adults 0 

Baptism,  Infants 3 

Sabbath    School   membership   including   teachers 
and  officers  137 

FUNDS  CONTRIBUTED. 

Home  Missions $  672  00 

Foreign  Missions 364  00 

Education 79  00 

Sabbath  School  work 86  00 

Church  Erection 88  00 

Ministerial  Relief  Fund 206  00 

Freedmen   61  00 

Synodical  Aid    67  00 

Aid  for  Colleges 55  00 

General  Assembly 39  40 

Congregational     3,798  00 

Miscellaneous    373  00 

Examined  and  approved  May  3,  1901. 

(Signed)  R.  E.  L.  Graham, 

Moderator,  Wyncote. ' ' 


142  HISTORY    OF 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  Communicants; 

Ambler,  Mrs.  Mary  A.,  Abington. 
Ambler,  Charles,  Abington. 
Ambler,  Mrs.  Annie  D.,  Abington. 
Ambler,  E.  Raymond,  Abington. 
Ambler,  Miss  Mary  Grace,  Abington. 
Baggs,  Nicholas,  Abington. 
Baggs,  Mrs.  Lydia,  Abington. 
Baggs,  Albert  Nicholas,  M.  D.,  Abington. 
Baggs,  Miss  Mary  N.,  Abington. 
Baggs,  Miss  Louise  D.,  Abington. 
Bishop,  Miss  Anna  Hallman,  Willow  Grove. 
Bockins,  Mrs.  Jeannette,  Abington. 
Bockius,  Frank  T.,  Abington. 
Bockius,  Mrs.  Anna  R.,  Abington. 
Bockius,  John  M.,  Abington. 
Bockius,  Mrs.  Mary  E.,  Abington. 
Bockius,  Miss  Helen  C,  Abington 
Bockius,  Miss  Rebecca  Annette,  Abington. 
Bockius,  Miss  Edith  Cynthia,  Abington. 
Boutcher,  Mrs.  Charlotte,  Abington. 
Boutcher,  Miss  Carrie,  Abington. 
Boutcher,  B.  F.,  Abington. 
Boutcher,  Mrs.  Mary  S.,  Abington. 
Boutcher,  Miss  Lottie  A.,  Abington. 
Brannin,  Mrs.  Elizabeth,  Abington. 
Bryan,  Mrs.  Emily,  Jenkintown. 
Cadwalader,  Mrs.  Mary  F.,  Dresher. 
Campbell,  Mrs.  Sarah  A.,  Abington. 
Canning,  Mrs.  Margaret  T.,  Abington. 
Canning,  Mrs.  John,  Abington. 
Coffman,  Mrs.  John,  Abington. 
Coifman,  John,  Abington. 
Colton,  J.  Milton,  Jenkintown. 
Colton,  Mrs.  Mary  R.,  Jenkintown. 
Colton,  Miss  Mary  Ethel,  Jenkintown. 
Colton,  Miss  Margaret  B.,  Jenkintown. 


ABiNGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  143 

Craig',  John,  Meadowbrook. 

Craig,  Mrs.  Mary  J.,  Meadowbrook. 

Craig,  Miss  Sadie  H.,  Meadowbrook. 

Craven,  Mrs.  Eacliel,  Hatboro. 

Danenliower,  Miss  Lottie  S.,  Abington. 

Danenliower,  Mrs.  Ella  S.,  Southampton. 

DiiRoss,  Mrs.  Mary  Elizabeth,  Roslyn. 

Erwin,  Edward  Dyer,  Abington. 

Erwin,  Mrs.  Rebecca  J.,  Abington. 

Fenton,  Frank  K.,  Hatboro. 

Fenton,  Mrs.  Florence  V.,  Hatboro. 

Flack,  Elias  L.,  Abington. 

Fieshhower,  John  H.,  Willow  Grove. 

Fox,  Harry  H.,  Abington. 

Fox,  Mrs.  Anna  Jane,  Abington. 

Fulmer,  George  S.,  Jenkintown. 

Fulmer,  Mrs.  Mary  A.,  Jenkintown. 

Fulmer,  Miss  Anna  E.,  Jenkintown. 

Fulmer,  Miss  Elizabeth  Palmer,  Jenkintown. 

Grieb,  George,  Glenside. 

Grieb,  Mrs.  Kate,  Glenside. 

Grieb,  John  George,  Glenside. 

Grieb,  Miss  Ange  Maree,  Glenside. 

Hallowell,  Miss  Sallie,  Abington. 

Hamel,  George,  Jr.,  Jenkintown. 

Hamel,  Mrs.  Sallie  E.,  Jenkintown. 

Hamel,  Miss  Ethel  E.,  Jenkintown. 

Henning,  John,  Fox  Chase. 

Henning,  Mrs.  Anna  K.,  Fox  Chase. 

Henning,  Howard  B.,  Fox  Chase. 

Holmes,  James,  Frankford. 

Holmes,  Mrs.  Elizabeth,  Frankford. 

Houck,  Nelson  T.,  Abington. 

Houck,  Mrs.  Ida  E.,  Abington. 

Houck,  Percy  C,  Abington. 

Hunter,  John  Chambers,  Abington. 

Hunter,  Mrs.  Annie  D.,  Abington. 


144  HISTORY    OF 

tlunter,  Miss  Bertha  B.,  Abington. 

Hunter,  Leighton  E.,  Abington. 

Kelly,  Mrs.  Ella  P.,  Eoslyn. 

Kieffe,  Auguste,  Abington. 

Krewson,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Henry,  Southampton. 

Larzelere,  Miss  Amanda,  Wyncote. 

Mann,  Mrs.  Wm.,  Horsham. 

Mann,  Mrs.  Rebecca  J.,  Woodmont. 

Mann,  Mrs.  Caroline  E.,  Woodmont. 

Mann,  Miss  Charlotte  B.,  Woodmont. 

Mann,  Miss  Mary  Steele,  Woodmont. 

Margerum,  Mrs.  Suzanne  R.,  Willow  Grove. 

Margerum,  Mrs.  Lillian  R.,  Willow  Grove. 

Margerum,  Miss  Grace  Ethel,  Willow  Grove. 

Michener,  Mrs.  John,  Woodmont. 

Moore,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  L.,  Wyncote. 

Morris,  Mrs.  Amanda,  Abington. 

Morris,  Henry  J.,  Abington. 

Morris,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  R.,  Abington. 

Morris,  John  Ludlam,  Abington. 

McFarland,  James  Porter,  Ogontz. 

McParland,  Harold  B.,  Ogontz. 

McFern,  Henry,  Abington. 

McFern,  Mrs.  Mary  E.,  Abington. 

McNeil,  Mrs.  Rebecca,  Abington. 

Neely,  Robert  A.,  Merion. 

Neely,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  W.,  Merion. 

Neely,  Alexander,  Roslyn. 

Neely,  Miss  Julia  B.,  Germantown. 

Neely,  James  J.,  Oak  Lane. 

Niblock,  Russell  Freed,  Willow  Grove. 

Niblock,  Irwin  S.,  Willow  Grove. 

Niblock,  Miss  Jean  J.,  Willow  Grove. 

Och,  Mrs.  A.  Margaretta,  Hatboro. 

Och,  Miss  A.  Frances,  Hatboro. 

Opdyke,  Mrs.  Elizabeth,  Abington. 

Parry,  Miss  Mary  Edith,  Abington. 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  145 

Paxson,  Miss  Mary  L.,  Abington. 

Paxson,  Miss  Harriet  L.,  Abingtoii. 

Porter,  Jolin,  Abington. 

Porter,  Mrs.  Catherine  S.,  Abington., 

Eaab,  Mrs.  Emma  K.,  Willow  Grove. 

Kamsey,  Mrs.  Emma,  Hatboro. 

Rapp,  Wiliam  R.,  Abington. 

Rapp,  Mrs.  Rosanna,  Abington. 

Rea,  James,  Rydal. 

Rea,  Mrs.  Sarah  J.,  Rydal. 

Rittenhouse,  Mrs.  Elizabeth,  Willow  Grovt.. 

Roberts,  Harry  C,  Mt.  Airy. 

Roberts,  Mrs.  Hannah  L.,  Mt.  Airy. 

Roberts,  Mrs.  Margaret  B.,  Abington. 

Roberts,  B.  F.,  Abington. 

Roberts,  Mrs.  B.  F.,  Abington. 

Roberts,  Miss  Mabel  S.,  Abington. 

Roberts,  Miss  Bessie  A.,  Abington. 

Robinson,  Miss  Sarah  J.,  Abington. 

Rugh,  Mrs.  Eleanor  H.,  Philadelphia. 

Shaffer,  Mrs.  Ida  Jane,  Abington. 

Shaffer,  Albert  B.,  Abington. 

Shaffer,  Harold  L.,  Abington. 

Sheetz,  Mrs.  Mary  Leslie,  Meadowbrook. 

Shelmire,  Miss  Annie  V.,  Abington. 

Stevenson,  Roberts,  Abington 

Stevenson,  Mrs.  Jennie  H.,  Abington. 

Stevenson,  Miss  Mary  R.,  Abington. 

Stevenson,  Roberts,  Jr.,  Philadelphia. 

Stewart,  Miss  Emily,  Abington. 

Stewart,  Miss  Keturah,  Abington. 

Stewart,  Miss  Ruth  Ann,  Abington. 

Stewart,  Ardemus,  Abington. 

Stewart,  Miss  Elizabeth  D.,  Glenside. 

Stewart,  Miss  Ella  Dillon,  Glenside. 

Stewart,  Miss  Margaret,  Glenside. 

Stewart,  Henry  M.,  Glenside. 


146    HISTORY  OF  ABINGTON  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 

Tull,  Mrs.  Margaret  B.,  Abington. 

Tull,  Francis  Daniel,  Abington. 

Tull,  George  Meade,  Abington. 

Tull,  Miss  Helen  U.,  Abington. 

Tull,  Miss  Hester  E.,  Abington. 

Tull,  Miss  Anna  Bennett,  Abington. 

Tull,  William  L.,  Hillside. 

Tull,  Mrs.  Letitia  W.,  Hillside. 

Van  Horn,  James,  Hatboro. 

Van  Horn,  Mrs.  E.  C,  Hatboro. 

Van  Winkle,  Miss  Lillie,  Edge  Hill. 

Waller,  Mrs.  Elizabetli,  Merion. 

Warr,  John,  Abington. 

Warr,  Mrs.  Jennie,  Abington. 

Warr,  Miss  Jennie  Florence,  Abington. 

Warr,  John  Reynolds,  Abington. 

Webster,  Mrs.  Mattie  P.,  Jenkintown. 

Wigfall,  Miss  C.  Sophia,  Abington. 

Williams,  Mrs.  Harriet  Allen,  Abington. 

Williams,  H.  Calvin,  Abington. 

Williams,  Mrs.  Mary  Weir,  Abington.  ; 

Williams,  Miss  Valley,  Abington. 

Williams,  Miss  Emily  S.,  Abington. 

Winder,  David  A.,  Abington. 

WjTikoop,  Charles  C,  Abington. 

Wynkoop,  Mrs.  Rebecca  A.,  Jenkintown. 

Yerkes,  Winfield  Scott,  Hatboro. 

Yerkes,  Mrs.  Ida,  Hatboro. 

Young,  Miss  Emma  I.,  Abington. 

The  history  of  Abington  church  covering  the  last  ten 
years,  during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  J.  W.  Williams,  will 
be  found  in  the  latter  part  of  the  book.  The  pages  im- 
mediately following  give  a  history  of  the  origin  and 
growth  of  those  churches  in  the  vicinity  which  have 
sprung  from  Abington,  together  with  the  ministers  and 
missionaries  who  have  gone  from  here  to  other  fields  of 
labor. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

CHURCHES  THAT  HAVE  GROWN  OUT  OF  ABINGTON 
PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH. 

Huntingdon  Valley.       Organized  April  17,  1860  by 
Josiah  S.  Mann 
Samuel  K.  Mann 
George  W.  Boileau 
Miss  Margaret  S.  Mann 
Mrs.  Susan  Y.  Mann 
Mrs.  Rebecca  Boileau 
First  building  erected  in  1861. 

The  following  was  prepared  by  Rev.  J.  M.  Welch, 
November  1910: — 

''The  church  was  organized  April  17,  1860,  in  an  old 
frame  school  house  near  the  present  church  building, 
which  was  erected  in  1861.  The  Sabbath  school  addition 
was  completed  in  1909.  The  manse  was  secured  the  year 
following  the  completion  of  the  church. 

Caspar  W.  Fetter  was  the  first  ruling  elder.  His 
widow,  Mrs.  Margaret  D.  Fetter,  is  the  only  survivor  of 
the  original  eighteen  members  and  adherents. 

The  infant  colony  looked  to  the  Abington  congrega- 
tion as  mother  church.  The  charter  is  dated  March  21 , 
1862,  and  is  signed  by  ten  men. 

There  have  been  twelve  pastors  installed: 

1.  Rev.  George  J.  Mingins,  May  15,  1861.  Thirteen 
new  members.      Released  June  29,  1863. 

2.  Rev.  James  B.  Kennedy,  October  15,  1863.  Four 
new  members.      Released  August  22,  1866. 

3.  Rev.  Thomas  M.  Gray,  June,  1867.  Three  new 
members.      Released  fall  of  1867. 

(H7j 


148  HISTORY    OF 

Eev.  J.  W.  E.  Ker  declined  call  April  1868. 

4.  Eev,  T.  C.  Anderson,  June,  1869.  Tliirty-one  new 
members.  Eeleased  December  16,  1878.  Salary  $400, 
manse,  $200  from  Mission  Board. 

5.  Eev.  J.  J.  Cowles,  October  27,  1879.  Thirty-six 
new  members.  Eeleased  May  4,  1884.  Salary  $700  and 
manse. 

6.  Eev.  W.  S.  Barnes,  October  23,  1884.  Fifty-two 
new  members.  Eeleased  May  15,  1887.  Salary  $800^ 
manse  and  fonr  weeks  vacation. 

7.  Eev.  W.  P.  Fulton,  October  13,  1887.  Ninety- 
seven  new  members.  Eeleased  January  1,  1891.  Salary 
$900  and  manse. 

8.  Eev.  E.  D.  Miller,  February  1891.  Twenty-three 
new  members.  Eeleased  October,  1892.  Salary  $900 
and  manse. 

Eev.  J.  M.  Knox  declined  call  April  12,  1893. 

9.  Eev.  J.  F.  Nicholas,  November  12,  1893.  Ninety- 
two  new  members.  Eeleased  September  18,  1901.  Sal- 
ary $1000,  manse  and  four  weeks  vacation. 

10.  Eev.  J.  M.  Wallace,  January  21,  1902.  Thirty- 
six  new  members.  Eeleased  May  15,  1906.  Salary  $900^ 
manse,  one  month  vacation. 

11.  Eev.  W.  H.  Pheley,  supply,  September  1,  1906. 
Installed  November  19,  1908.  Thirty-one  new  members. 
Eeleased  June  5,  1910.  Salary  $800,  manse,  one  month 
vacation  and  pastoral  work  voluntary. 

12.  Eev.  J.  M.  Welch,  November  22,  1910.  Salary 
$1200,  two  weeks'  vacation,  manse  rented. 

Contributions  in  1910: — Benevolence  $390;  Congre- 
gatoinal  $2064.  Members,  164. 


HISTORY     OF     "GRACE     PRESBYTERIAN     SABBATH 

SCHOOL,"  JENKINTOWN.  PA. 

1869  to  1906. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Sabbath  School  Association  of 
the  Grace  Presbyterian  church  of  Jenkintown,  Pa.,  some 
few  months  ago,  the  question  of  ''How  and  when  the 
school  was  organized"  was  raised  by  some  of  those  pres- 
ent, and  the  following  facts  bearing  on  the  subject  have 
been  gathered  by  Mr.  George  Hamel,  Jr.,  the  present  Su- 
perintendent of  the  school: — 

Thirty-seven  years,  the  time  since  the  school  was  or- 
ganized, has  elapsed.  It  seems  but  a  short  time,  but  who 
can  look  forward — for  a  like  period — with  any  certainty, 
or  without  a  feeling  of  fear  ? 

At  the  request  of  Mr.  Hamel,  the  Rev.  Samuel  T. 
Lowrie,  then  pastor  of  the  Abington  Presbyterian  church, 
the  Mother  Church,  has  furnished  the  following  data 
from  his  personal  diary,  which  seems  to  be  the  only  re- 
cord of  the  event,  interesting  himself  at  some  length  to 
do  so. 

Many  people  seem  to  look  upon  Friday  with  a  great 
deal  of  superstition,  thinking  it  the  most  unlucky  day 
upon  which  to  begin  or  do  any  work  of  importance,  yet 
on  Friday  evening,  July  9th,  1869,  at  a  meeting  of  the 
Sabbath-school  teachers  of  the  Abington  church,  at  that 
time  a  weekly  meeting,  there  were  present  eighteen  per- 
sons. Mr.  Lowrie  suggested  the  starting  of  a  school  at 
Jenkintown,  and  it  met  with  favorable  consideration,  the 
result  being  that  on  Sunday,  July  25th,  1869,  at  2.30  p.  m., 
a  meeting  was  held  in  what  was  known  as  the  Lyceum 
building  which  is  just  north  of  the  present  church  prop- 

(149) 


150  HISTORY    OF 

erty  in  Jenkintown,  and  a  Sabbath  school  was  organized 
by  Mr,  Lowrie.  There  were  present  on  that  occasion 
eighteen  people  who  constituted  the  school,  besides  a  few 
others  as  visitors,  at  which  time  Mr.  Lowrie  says  he  took 
encouragement  from  reading  and  speaking  from  Luke  5i 
1-11.  "The  miraculous  cast  of  the  net."  At  the  close  of 
the  school  he  gave  cards  and  mementoes  to  the  children 
and  all  the  teachers  present,  Mrs.  J.  J.  C.  Harvey  (Mr. 
Harvey  being  ill).  Miss  Annie  DuBree,  Mrs.  Lowrie,  Miss 
Mary  Wigfall,  Mr.  John  B.  Stevenson  and  Dr.  Beatty. 

One  very  interesting  item  is,  that  the  record  of  the 
names  of  the  children  has  been  kept,  and  is: — 

Lizzie,  Christiana,  Eddy  and  Mary  Myers,  Lucy  War- 
wick, Eliza,  David,  Annie,  Douglass  and  Mary  Eobinson, 
Caroline,  Lena,  Mary  and  Frank  Weiss,  Miss  Nice,  Thom- 
as and  Rodman  Wanamaker,  Caleb  Fox,  Spencer  Ervin. 

There  were  present  besides,  several  young  men  from 
Abington,  with  a  Mr.  Thomas,  who  may  also  be  counted 
as  part  of  the  school;  Mr.  Lewis  Trout  was  appointed  to 
have  charge  of  opening  the  building. 

Looking  backward  over  the  years  we  find  that  with- 
in those  old  walls  of  the  Lyceum  has  met,  at  different 
times,  the  nucleus  of  each  of  the  different  churches  which 
have  been  started  in  this  town,  and  we  wonder  did  those 
first  scholars  of  this  '■''Grace  ^cJiooV^  ever  think  what  an 
important  part  they  were  playing  in  that  new  organiza- 
tion which  was  destined  to  develop  later  into  a  church, 
separate  and  distinct  from  the  parent  body  ' '  the  old  Ab- 
dngton  church?"  And  yet,  in  looking  over  the  first  list  of 
scholars,  we  find  that  not  one  of  them  is  at  present  identi- 
fied with  the  school. 

In  commenting  on  the  occasion,  Mr.  Lowrie  says: — 
"Some  of  the  children  were  more  thorough  than  I  was, 
for  they  brought  pennies  (six  of  them),"  yet  we  are  in- 
clined to  think  that  he  showed  discretion  in  not  asking 
for  any  collection  at  that  first  meeting,  for  as  the  love  of 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  151 

God  fills  the  heart,  so  will  the  desire  to  give  to  His  cause, 
also  increase. 

Friday  evening,  July  30th,  1869,  a  teachers'  meeting 
was  held  at  Ahington  Church,  with  fourteen  members  pres- 
ent. A  committee  was  appointed  for  the  Sunday  School 
Anniversary,  to  be  held  on  Thursday,  August  26th,  1869 ; 
this  committee  was  composed  of  two  members  from  each 
of  the  schools  of  Ahington^  Willoiv  Grove,  Fitzwatertoicn  and 
JcnJcintoicn. 

From  Mr.  John  Hunter,  of  Abington,  we  learn  that 
Mr.  John  Wanamaker  was  Superintendent,  Mr.  John 
Hunter,  Associate.  Spencer  Ervin,  Organist  and  Libra- 
rian, and  Robert  Leedom,  Secretary. 

On  Sunday,  August  1st,  1869,  the  school  was  graded, 
forming  an  Infant  Class  and  three  others.  There  were 
present  twenty-four  scholars  and  four  teachers.  Mr. 
Lowrie  was  given  a  class  of  men,  Miss  Annie  Du- 
Bree  the  infant  class,  Mrs.  Wanamaker  a  class  of  boys, 
and  Miss  Mary  Wigfall  a  class  of  girls,  all  of  them  being 
very  much  encouraged  with  the  school. 

On  Sunday,  August  8th,  1869  the  school  opened  at 
2.30  p.  m.  with  twenty-eight  present,  there  being  no  re- 
cord of  the  other  Sundays  of  the  month.  It  was  noted 
that  the  room  in  which  they  met  was  much  improved  in 
appearance,  as  it  had  been  cleaned  and  painted,  showing 
a  desire  for  a  bright  and  cheerful  surrounding  for  the  new 
venture. 

The  need  and  importance  of  such  a  work  could  not  be 
more  emphasized  than  by  the  events  which  rapidly  fol- 
lowed, as  may  be  seen  by  the  record. 

On  Thursday,  September  9th,  1869,  a  prayer  meeting 
was  started  in  the  old  Lyceum  building,  in  charge  of  Mr. 
John  Wanamaker,  and  at  that  first  meeting  there  were 
thirty-five  present.  Dr.  Lowrie  was  unable  to  be  pres- 
ent, and  Mr.  Wanamaker  could  get  no  one  to  take  any 
part  in  the  meeting,  but  a  Mr.  Parvin,  a  young  man  who 
had  come  with  him.      The  Parvins  formerly  resided  at 


152  HISTORY    OF 

Ogontz  and  attended  the  Episcopalian  cburcli  there.  One 
of  the  sons  studied  for  the  ministry,  and  probably  this 
was  the  one  to  whom  Dr.  Lowrie  referred.  He  further 
records  that  he  went  to  Jenkintown,  Thursday  evening, 
September  16th,  1869,  and  the  attendance  was  fifty-three, 
Mr.  Wanamaker  being  present,  and  both  prayed  and 
spoke  in  the  service.  The  record  continues: — "I  wa& 
surprised  at  the  attendance  and  wonder  to  what  it  will 
lead." 

On  Sunday,  September  12th,  1869,  they  had  an  in- 
teresting time  at  the  old  building.  The  school  opened 
with  a  large  attendance,  some  of  the  very  ones  Dr.  Lowrie 
desired  to  see  there  being  present,  but  neither  he  nor  Mrs. 
Lowrie  were  there,  on  account  of  a  sick  son,  Mrs.  Wana- 
maker being  also  quite  ill.  Mr.  Hunter,  the  Superinten- 
dent, being  new  to  the  position,  perhaps  did  not  take  as 
much  advantage  of  the  opportunity  as  the  others  might 
have  done.  Dr.  Lowrie  says  ''I  see  plain  signs  of  a  good 
Sabbath  School;  I  expect  the  best  in  Jenkintown." 

In  passing,  it  would  be  but  fair  to  state  at  this  time 
that  Mr.  Hunter  was  a  very  young  man,  without  any  of 
the  experience  which  he  afterward  gained,  for  he  was 
later  elected  as  Superintendent  of  the  Abington  school, 
and  held  that  position  until  about  a  year  ago. 

On  Sunday,  September  19th,  1869,  they  were  full  of 
encouragement  with  the  school  at  Jenkintown.  There 
were  present  41  scholars  and  7  teachers,  but  complaint 
was  made  of  too  few  papers  for  the  scholars;  the  record 
says: — "Mr.  John  Hunter  promises  well  as  a  superinten- 
dent, and  Spencer  Ervin  as  an  organist."  Mr.  Ervin 
has  since  deceased. 

A  paper  received  from  Mr.  Hunter,  the  former  super- 
intendent, affords  some  interesting  information,  but  gives 
only  one  date,  that  of  the  organization  of  the  school.  It 
states : — 

''The  school  has  steadily  increased  in  numbers  and 
interest,  and  we  feel  encouraged  to  work  and  labor,  more 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  153 

and  more.  We  now  have  about  110  names  on  the  roll, 
with  from  60  to  70  in  regular  attendance.  These  scholars 
iform  seven  classes,  the  teachers  of  which  are  always  pres- 
ent or  have  sent  substitutes  almost  without  exception. 
The  seven  classes  are  called  "bands"  and  on  the  third 
Sunday  of  each  month  hand  in  the  collection  for  the 
month  for  missionary  and  other  purposes. 

A  melodeon  was  presented  to  the  school  by  the  Beth- 
any school  of  Philadelphia,  which  proved  to  be  of  great 
pleasure  and  profit  to  the  school,  much  of  the  interest  in 
the  school  being  due  to  its  use  and  aiding  the  children  in 
their  singing.  This  instrument  remained  in  the  school 
until  a  few  years  ago  when  it  was  given  away. 

All  the  money  now,  that  we  can  raise,  we  expect  to 
appropriate  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  new  building,  a 
real  home  of  our  own  is  what  we  earnestly  desire." 

At  the  time  this  was  written  the  school  was  still  hold- 
ing its  services  in  the  old  Lyceum  building. 

"Seven  members  of  the  school  and  prayer  meeting, 
during  the  year  past  have  united  with  the  church,  which 
great  blessing  encourages  us  in  our  belief  that  God  has 
chosen  this  place  as  a  home,  where  He  will  come  to  supply 
the  wants  of  all  who  are  needy." 

Throughout  this  paper  the  name  of  Dr.  Lowrie  ap- 
pears frequently,  but  as  the  only  record  of  these  events 
here  set  forth  happens  to  be  the  personal  diary  of  Dr. 
Lowrie,  this  feature  may  well  be  excused. 

Compiled  by  George  Hamel,  Jr.,  Jenkintown,  Pa.,  in 
1906,  being  then  Superintendent  of  the  Grace  Presbyter- 
ian Sabbath  school. 


154  HISTORY    OF 

CARMEL  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH. 

A  Sunday  school  in  the  neighborhood  of  Edge  Hill 
and  Dreshertown  had  a  precarious  existence  for  many 
years,  but  the  first  formal  action  was  taken  October  28th, 
1875,  when  a  Congregational  meeting  of  Abington  Pres- 
byterian church  authorized  their  trustees  to  build  a  chap- 
el at  Edge  Hill  at  a  cost  not  exceeding  $4,000  on  a  lot 
bought  of  Mrs.  Rachel  Tyson  for  $300.  The  Building 
Committee  appointed  was,  William  A.  Drown,  Jr.,  George 
Hamel,  Sr.,  John  B.  Stevenson,  Robert  E.  Patterson,  Rob- 
ert Gray,  John  M.  Fenton,  Robert  Craig,  Rev.  L.  W.  Eck- 
ard. 

May  18,  1876,  Mr.  George  Hamel,  Sr.,  appointed  to 
superintend  construction  of  chapel  at  a  cost  not  to  exceed 
$2800. 

Building  finished  and  dedicated  February  15,  1877. 
April  12th,  1878,  chapel  at  Edge  Hill  accepted  and  bal- 
ance of  debt  assumed  $218.28. 

January  4th,  1882,  trustees  of  Abington  church  trans- 
ferred property  to  Carmel  church. 

September  5,  1893:  Ceased  to  receive  aid  from  the 
Board  of  Synodical  Sustentation. 

January  26,  1896:  New  church  finished  and  dedicat- 
ed. 

February  13,  1902:  Twentieth  anniversary  held. 

March  2,  1907:  Balance  of  mortgage  paid  and  the 
church  free  of  debt. 

1913: 

Church  membership 462 

Sabbath  School 380 

"Woman's  Mission 50 

One  of  the  ofi'springs  of  Abington  Presbyterian 
church  is  the  following,  which  we  know  as  "0?/r  First 
Grandclnkr^: — 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  153 

CALVARY   PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH,  WYNCOTE.  PA. 
A  SHORT  HISTORY. 

The  first  effort  toward  what  is  now  Calvary  Presby- 
terian church  was  the  calling  of  a  cottage  prayer-  meet- 
ing, which  was  held  in  the  parlor  of  Mrs.  Kraft's  home, 
Thursday  evening,  January  15,  1891.  Eev.  Richard  A. 
Greene,  then  pastor  of  Grace  Presbyterian  church,  Jenk- 
intown,  had  charge  of  this  service.  It  was  through  his 
foresight,  prudence  and  missionary  zeal  that  the  work 
prospered  from  its  inception.  On  Sunday  afternoon, 
January  25,  1891,  a  Sunday  school  was  organized  with 
Mr.  Lewis  C.  Leidy  as  superintendent.  On  the  same  af- 
ternoon Rev.  Mr.  Greene  conducted  the  first  preaching 
service.  These  services  were  held  at  the  homes  of  Mrs. 
Parker  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  H.  Berger,  until  a  lot  should 
be  secured  and  a  chapel  erected.  The  mission  work  was 
taken  under  the  care  of  the  Session  of  Grace  church,  Jenk- 
intown.  At  the  close  of  nine  weeks  of  services  held  in 
the  homes  in  the  vicinity,  a  sufficient  sum  of  money  had 
been  raised,  a  lot  secured,  and  a  chapel  erected  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Greenwood  and  Terwood  avenues.  On  Easter  day, 
March  29,  1891,  the  Wyncote  mission  held  service  for  the 
first  time  in  the  new  chapel.  Denominational  lines  were 
ignored,  as  they  have  always  been,  and  Calvary  church 
today  owes  its  existence  in  a  large  measure  to  the  gener- 
osity of  Baptists,  Methodists,  Lutherans,  Friends  and 
Episcopalians,  and  Presbyterians.  The  services  at  Cal- 
vary church  have  always  been  given  a  liturgical  cast  from 
the  first,  which  is  but  fair  to  the  various  denominational 
elements  in  the  church  whose  rights  should  be  respected 
and  whose  tastes  should  be  gratified  within  legitimate 
bounds. 

Preaching  services,  Sabbath  school  and  prayer  ser- 
vices were  held  regularly,  and  the  work  under  the  bless- 
ing of  God  and  the  direction  of  His  Spirit  continued  to 
develop.    At  the  meeting  in  April  1892,  a  little  more  than 


158  ■  HISTORY    OF 

a  year  after  birtli,  a  petition  signed  by  thirty  persons  was 
presented  to  the  Presbytery  of  Phihidelphia  North,  in 
Session  at  Doylestown,  for  the  formation  of  the  Wyncote 
Mission  into  the  Calvary  Presbyterian  church,  of  Wyn- 
cote. This  petition  was  put  into  the  hands  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Home  Missions,  who  shortly  reported  in  favor 
of  the  above  named  organization.  On  Friday,  May  20, 
1892,  this  Committee  met  in  the  chapel  and  Calvary 
church  was  formally  organized,  with  twenty-eight  char- 
ter members.  Out  of  the  petitioners  who  were  received 
into  the  membership  of  the  new  church,  fourteen  were  dis- 
missed from  Grace  church,  Jenkintown;  but  some  of  these 
held  always  attended  the  services  on  the  Wyncote  side, 
and  had  simply  made  a  profession  of  faith  in  Grace 
church,  and  had  their  names  placed  upon  its  roll,  because 
it  was  the  organized  body  to  which  the  Mission  belonged. 

Three  weeks  after  the  organization,  on  Children's 
day,  June  12,  1892,  Kev.  Carlos  T.  Chester,  supplied  the 
pulpit.  A  call  was  extended  to  him  the  following  Au- 
gust, which  he  accepted  and  he  was  installed  pastor  of 
the  church  in  October.  In  December  1892  the  Woman's 
"\Jnion  was  organized,  with  all  branches  of  the  Woman's 
work  centralized  in  one  organization. 

In  June  1893  the  Trustees  having  sold  the  lot  upon 
which  the  chapel  stood,  ground  was  purchased  upon 
which  the  manse  and  church  are  built.  In  September  the 
chapel  was  moved  to  the  spot  upon  which  the  church  now 
stands.  In  April  1894  ground  was  broken  for  the  manse, 
which  was  occupied  September  24,  exactly  a  year  after 
the  first  service  in  the  little  chapel  on  the  hill.  In  Sep- 
tember 1896  a  special  Building  Fund  Committee  was  ap- 
pointed to  secure  contributions  for  the  erection  of  a  per- 
manent church  building.  During  the  year  1897  over 
$6000  was  raised  for  the  new  church.  In  April  1898  a 
contract  for  building  our  beautiful  new  church  was 
awarded,  ground  was  broken  on  May  9th,  and  the  corner- 
stone was  laid  July  2nd  of  that  year.      On  February  5, 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  157 

1899  the  first  service  was  held  in  the  new  church,  in  the 
'' Social  Eoom"  with  Sunday  school  services  in  the  Sun- 
day school  rooms,  where  church  services  were  sub- 
sequently held  until  the  opening  of  the  main  auditorium 
Easter  day,  April  2,  1899.  After  eight  years  of  faith- 
ful service  and  unselfish  devotion  to  the  church  and  all  its 
interests,  the  pastor  felt  it  his  duty  to  resign  to  take  up 
literary  work.  At  a  congregational  meeting  held  March 
11,  1901,  his  resignation  was  accepted  by  the  congrega- 
tion. At  a  congregational  meeting  held  June  26,  1901,  a 
unanimous  call  was  extended  to  Rev.  William  Barnes 
Lower,  then  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of 
Bridgeport,  to  become  pastor  of  Calvary  church.  The 
call  was  accepted  by  Mr.  Lower,  and  he  was  installed  Sep- 
tember 10,  1901.  A  reception  was  tendered  the  new  pas- 
tor on  the  evening  of  September  17,  1901. 

Since  his  pastorate  of  almost  ten  years,  the  church 
has  doubled  in  membership  and  a  church  mortgage  of 
$13,000  has  been  almost  removed. 


158  HISTORY    OF 

CALVARY  MISSION. 

Located  at  Washington  Lane  and  Limekiln  Pike. 

This  is  the  great  grand-child  of  Abington  Presbyter- 
ian church.  Its  beginning  was  in  1898,  and  after  various 
vicissitudes  and  having  no  permanent  home,  Miss  Tom- 
linson  rented  two  rooms  in  Mrs.  Leedom's  house,  and  an 
effort  was  again  made  to  get  the  children  together.  This 
was  late  in  November  of  1901. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  the  pastor  of  Calvary  Pres- 
byterian church  of  Wyncote,  learning  through  one  of  the 
eiders,  Mr.  Homer  L.  Pound,  that  the  Pleasantville  Sun- 
day school  needed  help,  offered  his  assistance  and  it  was 
gladly  accepted. 

Dr.  Lower  and  those  from  Calvary  church  who  assist- 
ed him  in  the  new  work  could  only  go  out  on  Sunday  af- 
ternoon and  those  from  Somerville  could  only  attend  in 
the  morning,  desiring  to  attend  service  in  their  own 
church.  Their  own  church  attendance  they  had  been  sac- 
rificing for  the  work  at  Pleasantville.  Mr.  Patton  and 
Miss  Tomlinson  withdrew,  but  Miss  Stewart  kept  on 
faithfully  with  the  work  until  a  short  time  ago,  when  she 
was  compelled  to  give  up  her  class  of  boys  because  of  her 
moving  a  distance  from  the  school. 

Several  attempts  which  had  been  made  to  erect  a 
small  house  of  worship  met  with  failure.  When  Dr.  Low- 
er assumed  pastoral  charge  of  the  work,  he  immediately 
brought  the  needs  of  the  field  before  the  elders  of  the 
church.  Mr.  W.  H.  Berger,  one  of  the  elders,  went  at 
once  and  looked  the  field  over.  He  found  upon  inquiry 
that  a  lot  owned  by  Mr,  Aaron  Engle  could  be  purchased 
for  $150  and  instructed  Dr.  Lower  to  buy  the  lot  at  once, 
he  giving  the  money  for  it.  This  was  done,  Mr.  Engle  re- 
turning $10  as  his  contribution  to  the  building. 

On  December  20,  1901,  a  meeting  was  called  to  see 
what  could  be  done  in  regard  to  erecting  a  building  for 
church  and  Sunday  school  purposes.    The  meeting  was 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  159 

held  at  the  home  of  Mr.  George  Harvey  and  the  following 
persons  were  present:  Mr.  George  Harvey,  Mr.  Joseph 
Bockman,  Mr.  George  Gaddis,  Mr.  Ernest  Eastwood,  Mrs. 
Ernest  Eastwood,  Mrs.  George  Harvey,  Mrs.  L.  Didier, 
Mrs.  James  Eiley,  Mr.  Frank  Krewson,  Mr.  William 
Krewson,  Mr.  E.  Leedom,  Mr.  0.  Lehman,  Miss  McCooi, 
Mr.  J.  Petjol  and  Mr.  Gideon  Patton. 

The  meeting  was  opened  with  prayer  by  Mr.  Lower 
and  organized  with  Mr.  George  Gaddis,  president,  Mr. 
James  Riley,  secretary.  Mr.  Lower  presented  the  lot  from 
Mr.  Berger  and  contributions  from  the  Wyncote  people 
amounting  to  $150. 

A  committee,  consisting  of  Mrs.  B.  Yeagle,  Mrs.  G. 
Harvey,  Mrs.  J.  Riley,  Mr.  F.  Krewson  and  Mr.  0.  Leh- 
man, was  appointed  to  solicit  for  the  building  fund.  Plans 
having  been  drawn,  at  the  next  meeting  bids  were  receiv- 
ed and  certain  ones  accepted.  The  secretary  was  in- 
structed to  have  the  carpenter  work  done  by  day  work  un- 
til the  building  was  enclosed,  after  which  the  carpenters 
of  the  communit}^  agreed  to  finish. 

The  excavating  was  done  by  volunteers,  nearly  every 
one  in  the  community  giving  a  helping  hand.  This  was 
in  January,  1902,  but  owing  to  the  bad  weather  the  corner 
stone  was  not  laid  till  March  23  of  the  same  year.  A 
special  service  was  held  on  this  date,  and  the  cornerstone 
was  laid  by  the  pastor.  It  contained  a  leaden  box,  in 
which  was  placed  a  Bible,  minutes  of  the  first  business 
meeting,  minutes  of  the  Ladies  Aid  Society,  a  short  his- 
tory of  the  Sunday  school,  and  a  few  minor  coins  of  the 
year. 

In  the  meantime  the  trustees  thought  it  would  be 
best  to  buy  the  lot  on  the  north  side  of  the  building.  Cor- 
respondence was  entered  into  with  Mrs.  Ashmead,  the 
owner,  and  eventually  the  lot  was  bought  for  $150,  Mr. 
Hoyt,  of  Wyncote,  giving  $45  toward  it. 

After  the  building  was  enclosed,  the  carpenters  of 
the  neighborhood  took  charge  and  finished  the  interior, 


160  HISTORY    OF 

Messrs.  George  Gaddis,  J.  McCool,  W.  Krewson  and  L. 
Didier  giving  their  services  gratis  every  evening  until  the 
building  was  completed.  The  outside  grading  around  the 
building  was  mostly  done  gratis  by  the  neighbors,  Mr. 
Joseph  Bockman  giving  the  services  of  his  team  for  sev- 
eral days.  During  this  time  contributions  had  come  in  in 
a  very  satisfactory  manner,  Mr.  Jerome  Sheip  and  Mr. 
Jay  Cooke  giving  liberally.  The  Ladies'  Aid  Society, 
which  was  organized  during  the  winter  did  commendable 
work  and  were  very  successful  with  their  entertainments. 
The  Womans'  Union  of  Calvary  church,  Wyncote,  pres- 
ented the  pulpit,  chairs,  table,  hymn  board  and  carpet  for 
the  aisle.    Mr.  F.  E.  Shelly  presented  the  organ. 

On  the  4th  of  May,  1902,  the  building  was  formally 
dedicated.  The  pastor  of  Calvary  church,  of  Wyncote, 
conducted  the  service.  Eev.  David  R.  Kern,  D.  D.,  Chan- 
cellor of  the  University  of  Omaha,  and  Mr.  "W.  T.  Ellis,  of 
Wyncote,  assisting.  Since  the  chapel  has  been  opened  the 
trustees  have  placed  a  heater  in  the  basement,  and  also 
have  had  a  board  floor  placed  over  the  cement  floor  so  the 
basement  could  be  used  for  social  purposes.  The  base- 
ment is  now  open  on  Wednesday  evenings  for  reading 
room  and  games. 

The  building  has  cost  about  $2800,  of  this  amount 
$800  was  given  by  Wyncote  friends,  and  the  remainder, 
representing  $2000  is  cash  and  labor  given  by  the  people 
of  the  neighborhood. 

Dr.  Lower  preaches  at  the  chapel  every  Thursday 
night  and  is  Superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school  which 
numbers  130.  Mrs.  Lower  has  charge  of  the  primary  de- 
partment of  the  Sunday  school. 

In  1907  a  wing  was  added  to  the  Mission  building, 
giving  enlarged  room  for  the  increasing  Sunday  school  at- 
tendance. A  third  lot  has  recently  been  purchased 
which  now  gives  the  property  a  frontage  of  75  feet  on 
Williams  avenue  and  80  feet  on  Limekiln  pike.  The 
building  is  entirely  free  of  debt.    The  running  expenses, 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  161 

over  and  above  what  is  raised  by  the  members,  are  met  by 
personal  subscriptions. 

Preaching  services  have  been  held  during  the  year 
excepting  during  the  summer  on  Thursday  nights.  A  stu- 
dent from  the  Seminary  is  employed  for  the  Sabbath  eve- 
ning service.  Mr.  George  Gaddis  and  the  pastor  are  as- 
sociate superintendents  of  the  Sabbath  school  which  has 
held  sessions  regularly  at  2.30  on  Sabbath  afternoon  since 
the  founding  of  the  Mission. 


PREACHERS  THAT  WENT  OUT  FROM  ABINGTON 
CHURCH. 

REV.  HUGH  CRAVEN. 

Admitted  to  communion,  February  18,  1848.  Grad- 
uated from  Theological  Seminary  1860.  Went  to  La 
Crescent,  Minnesota,  and  lived  with  Dr.  Sheldon  Jackson ; 
did  the  missionary  work  in  that  locality  for  the  summer  of 
1860,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  located  at  St.  Charles, 
Minnesota,  where  he  was  pastor  for  35  years,  having  or- 
ganized three  churches  and  put  up  two  church  buildings. 
Died  December  25th,  1895. 

REV.  DR.  ALFRED  RYERS. 

Baptized  and  admitted  to  communion  August  1st, 
1829  when  17  years  old.  At  one  time  Professor  in  Uni- 
versity of  Indiana.    Died  in  Danville,  Ky.,  May  8th,  1858. 

JONH  McNAIR. 

Preached  in  Dutch  Reformed  Church. 

REV.  GEORGE  D.  STEWART. 

Joined  church  at  Lawrenceville,  N.  J.,  1840.  Under 
the  advice  of  Dr.  Steel,  became  a  Theological  student  at 
Princeton  in  1847  and  graduated  in  1849.  First  charge  at 
Bath,  N.  Y.  Remained  there  eight  years,  when  an  affec- 
tion of  the  throat  compelled  him  to  retire  and  take  a  rest. 

Became  a  Home  Missionary  in  Iowa  in  1860  at  West 
Point  and  labored  there  four  years.  Was  then  called  to 
Burlington,  Iowa,  and  after  that  to  Omaha,  Neb.,  and  then 

(162) 


HISTORY  OF  ABINGTON  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH    163 

to  Fort  Madison,  Iowa.  He  remained  as  pastor  at  Fort 
Madison  for  twenty-seven  years,  when  he  resigned  at  the 
age  of  eighty,  January,  1904,  having  been  in  the  ministry 
fifty-five  years.      Died  April  1st,  1910,  aged  85  years. 

REV.  JOHN  S.  STEWART. 

Born  April  1st,  1835,  baptized  August  15,  18-10.  Unit- 
ed with  the  church  May  17,  1851.  In  the  same  year  went 
to  the  Tennent  School  at  Hartsville,  Pa.  Princeton  College 
1853,  graduated  1856.  Taught  two  years  in  Virginia. 
Graduated  from  Princeton  Theological  Seminary  1861. 
Called  to  church  in  Greenville,  N.  J.,  in  1861  and  remain- 
ed there  until  1870,  when  he  was  called  to  Towanda,  Pa.,, 
(and  at  this  time  1913  is  still  there  and  preaching). 

REV.  DR.  JOSEPH  STEVENS. 

Admitted  to  communion  and  baptized  August  19, 
1836.  Educated  at  Lafayette  College.  Pastor  of  Pres- 
byterian church  at  Jersey  Shore  1851  to  1885. 

REV.  JACOB  BARNES  KREWSON. 

Baptized  November  16,  1850.  Admitted  to  com- 
munion February  21,  1858.  Pastor  at  Forestville,  Pa.,. 
for  45  years. 

REV.  JAMES  MacINTOSH  LONGSTRETH  ECKARD. 

Born  in  Chefoo,  China,  May  23rd,  1870.  Lived  in 
parsonage  at  Abington,  1875  to  1891. 

Educated  Friends'  School  at  Abington,  Cheltenham 
Military  School,  at  Ogontz,  Pa.,  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, College  Department  and  granted  Degree  of  ''Bach- 
elor of  Arts"  in  1891.  Post  graduate  course  in  the  Unit- 
ed Presbyterian  Divinity  Hall  and  in  the  University  of 


164  HISTORY    OF 

Edinburgli,  Scotland.      Theological  Seminary,  Princeton, 
New  Jersey. 

Pastorates,  Volga,  South  Dakota;  Northumberland, 
Pa.;  Lakewood,  New  Jersey;  Plain,  Pa.;  Frankfurt,  o.  m, 
Germany;  Scranton,  Pa.;  Smyrna,  Delaware  (where  he  is 
at  the  present  writing,  1913). 

REV.  C.  A.  R.  JANVIER. 

Born  on  the  church  property.  Baptized  February 
16,  1861.  Graduated  from  Princeton  Seminary,  May  14,. 
1884.  Ordained  at  Trenton,  N.  J.,  by  Presbytery  of  New 
Brunswick,  April  24th,  1884,  and  was  pastor  at  Trenton 
for  three  years.  Went  to  India  in  1887,  stationed  at  Far- 
akhabad.  Came  home  on  six  months  furlong  in  1892  on 
account  of  illness  of  his  son,  Ernest.  Then  returned  to 
India  and  was  in  charge  of  the  evangelistic  work  there, 
and  of  a  Girls'  Orphanage  and  Boys'  High  school.  Trans- 
ferred to  Allahabad  1895.      He  writes : — 

' '  One  of  my  duties  there  was  the  principalship  of  the 
Boys'  High  School;  it  was  this  that  made  me  realize  the 
great  opportunity  for  and  great  need  of  a  Mission  College 
at  Allahabad.  The  Mission  fully  endorsed  my  idea,  and 
also  approved  of  the  selection  of  Rev.  I.  H.  Ewing  of  our 
Luithiana  Mission  as  the  right  man  to  take  my  place  and 
start  the  College,  if  the  Foreign  Board  sanctioned  it  and 
if  the  money  could  be  raised.  The  College  now  (1913) 
has  nearly  300  students,  besides  750  in  the  High  school  or 
preparatory  department.  It  has  so  far  been  supported 
by  voluntary  contributions,  with  some  help  from  the 
Board.  It  has  now  reached  a  point  where  a  larger  and 
more  permanent  basis  must  be  found  for  its  large  work 
(besides  an  Arts  and  Science  Course  it  has  a  department 
of  Agriculture  and  one  of  Electrical  Engineering).  About 
one-third  of  the  expenses  are  met  by  fees  and  grants  on 
the  field,  another  third  the  Board  will  give,  and  we  are 
trying  to  raise  an  endowment  of  $150,000  to  cover  the 
rest." 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  165 

Dr.  Janvier  returned  to  this  country  in  1901  and 
made  addresses  on  Foreign  Missions  almost  continuously 
until  called  to  the  pastorate  of  Holland  Presbyterian 
church  in  Philadelphia,  in  December,  1901. 

He  has  been  called  to  the  Presidency  of  Ewing  Chris- 
tian College  of  Allahabad  and  in  1913  entered  upon  that 
work. 

Earnest  Janvier,  his  son,  has  been  engaged  in  the 
Mission  field  for  a  year,  and  is  now  at  Princeton  prepar- 
ing for  the  ministry,  and  will  return  to  India. 


MISSIONARIES  THAT  WENT  OUT  FROM  ABINGTON 

CHURCH, 

Dr.  John  Newton,  a  Medical  Missionary  in  India,  visited 
Abington  in  1858-59  and  there  became  engaged  to  Miss 
Sarah  Estell  Wigfall,  a  member  of  this  church.  He  re- 
turned to  India  and  in  1861  Miss  Wigfall  went  to  India, 
and  they  were  married  October  10,  1861.  Dr.  Newton 
was  located  in  a  number  of  places  in  the  Punjaub  during 
his  life.  He  died  in  India  July  29,  1880.  Mrs.  Newton 
was  a  missionary  there  for  thirty  years.  (At  this  time, 
1913,  she  is  living  in  Doylestown,  Pa.) 

Carroll  Harveij  YerJccs,  son  of  Martin  and  Mary  J. 
Yerkes;  Baptized  May  19,  1877. 

Helen  Nevius  Eckard,  daughter  of  Rev.  L.  W.  and  E.  A. 
Eckard;  Baptized  May  26, 1876. 

They  were  married  and  went  to  China  as  mission- 
aries. They  returned  home  for  a  vacation  in  1912  and 
returned  to  China,  1913. 

Mary  Rodney  Parvin.  Born  January  23rd,  1827.  Ad- 
mitted to  communion  August  19, 1842. 

The  following  account  of  her  life  and  work  was  pre- 
pared in  1913  by  her  son.  Rev.  C.  A.  R.  Janvier  and  Mrs. 
Mary  B.  Harvey,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Robert  Steel. 


(166) 


SKETCH  OF  THE  LIFE  OF  MARY  RODNEY  JANVIER. 

Mary  Rodney  Janvier,  who  entered  the  full  commun- 
ion of  our  church  August  19,  1842,  was  born  January  23rd, 
1827,  in  Buenos  Ayres,  Argentina,  where  her  father.  Rev. 
Theophilus  Parvin,  was  a  missionary.  He  had  married 
Mary  Rodney,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Caesar  A.  Rodney, 
United  States  Minister  to  Argentina,  and  their  baby  was 
named  for  her  mother.  The  mother  died  when  her  sec- 
ond child,  Theophilus,  was  a  baby,  and  the  daughter  but 
little  more;  and  after  a  short  time  spent  in  Fairton,  New 
Jersey,  Mr.  Parvin 's  home  to  which  he  returned  from 
South  America  and  where  he  also  died,  the  two  children 
came  to  be  members  of  the  parsonage  home  in  Abington. 
Mary  Parvin  was  then  less  than  eight  years  of  age,  so  that 
practically  the  only  father  and  mother  she  ever  knew 
were  those  whom  to  the  end  she  loved  so  dearly.  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Steele.  Later,  she  attended  for  some  years  Miss 
Guild 's  school — one  of  the  best  of  its  day — at  Fourth  and 
Spruce.  Then  came  a  year  at  home — a  year  of  constant 
care  and  great  anxiety  on  the  part  of  the  family;  for  it 
looked  as  though  pulmonary  disease  was  to  make  very 
short  work  of  her  life  storj'.  Complete  recovery,  however, 
vras  vouchsafed,  partly  at  least  through  the  help  of  a 
short  term  of  service  as  a  teacher  on  a  Mississippi  planta- 
tion. A  few  years  were  spent  in  happy  and  successful 
educational  work  under  Miss  Grand  Girard,  in  Hillsboro, 
Ohio ;  and  then  followed  her  response  to  the  conviction 
that  came  to  her  of  a  misisonary  call,  and  her  marriage, 
from  the  Abington  parsonage,  to  Rev.  Joseph  Porter,  of 
Ludhiana,  India,  with  whom  she  reached  that  station  in 
1849.      At  his  death  in  1853,  she  was  left  with  an  only 

(167) 


168  HISTORY    OF 

child,  Henry  M.,  and  continued  in  the  work  at  Ludhiana. 
Three  years  later  she  married  Eev.  Levi  Janvier  of  the 
same  mission,  and  came  home  with  him  on  furlough  just 
after  the  mutiny.  During  this  visit  home  came  one  of 
the  overwhelming  sorrows  of  her  life,  the  death  within 
'two  days  of  each  other  of  her  tw^o  boys,  Henry  Porter  and 
Theophilus  Janvier.  In  October  1861  she  and  her  hus- 
band, with  a  nine-months  old  boy  turned  their  faces  once 
more,  and  for  the  last  time,  toward  the  shores  of  India  and 
took  up  work  at  Sabathu.  Less  than  three  jeRvs  later 
she  was  called  upon  to  pass  through  the  awful  darkness  of 
the  tragedy  of  her  husband's  murder  by  a  Sikh,  ex-sepoy 
at  the  mela  or  religious  fair  at  Anandpur.  He  and  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Carleton,  living  with  their  families  in  tents  on  the 
outskirts,  had  been  preaching  daily  to  the  great  crowds 
assembled  at  the  "mela,"  and  had  made  their  arrange- 
ments to  leave  for  another  preaching  point  the  next  morn- 
ing. The  ex-sepoy  lay  in  wait  that  night  outside  the  tent 
door,  and  fulfilled  a  vow,  made  in  revenge  for  a  blow  re- 
ceived at  the  hands  of  an  officer  some  time  before,  by  club- 
bing to  death  the  unoffending  missionary. 

From  the  first  Mrs.  Janvier  had  managed  to  take 
time  from  her  home  cares  to  share  in  regular  missionary 
work,  and  had  among  other  things  been  one  of  the  leaders 
in  the  girls'  orphanage  at  Ludhiana.  After  her  hus- 
band's body  had  been  laid  to  rest  in  the  Ludhiana  ceme- 
tery, she  returned  with  her  boy  to  Sabathu  to  continue  as 
far  as  possible  the  lines  of  work  her  husband  had  been  en- 
gaged in — the  oversight  of  the  small  Christian  commun- 
ity, the  superintendence  of  the  boys' school  in  the  little 
town  and  of  the  Leper  Asylum  near  the  Mission  House. 
Soon  after  this  she  opened  the  first  school  for  Hindu  girls 
in  that  region — one  of  the  first  in  all  the  Punjaub — meet- 
ing difficulties  which  are  well  illustrated  by  a  single  ex- 
perience. She  begged  one  of  the  leading  merchants  to 
send  his  daughter,  and  received  the  response : — '  *  Send  my 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  169 

slaughter  to  school,  Mein  Sahib?    Why,  I  might  just  as 
well  send  my  cow ;  girls  have  no  souls ! ' ' 

A  few  years  later  she  adopted  the  orphaned  daugh- 
ter of  an  English  soldier  (now  Mrs.  M.  B.  Carleton,  a  mis- 
sionary in  India  and  in  that  very  Mission  House  at  Sa- 
hathu),  and  she  and  the  boy  shared  her  care  and  energy 
with  the  mission  work.  Broken  in  health,  she  returned 
to  America  in  1875,  after  twenty-five  years  of  continuous 
service,  and  came  back  for  a  year  to  the  old  home  in  Ab- 
ington.  Then  she  went  to  board  in  Princeton,  in  order 
to  be  with  her  son  who  had  entered  college.  In  1880  her 
health  having  in  large  measure  been  restored,  she  decid- 
ed to  return  to  her  work  in  India.  She  had  been  re-com- 
missioned by  the  Board  and  had  engaged  her  passage, 
when  two  days  before  the  sailing  date  she  was  stricken 
with  paralysis.  From  this  attack  she  made  apparently 
complete  recovery,  but  she  had  lost  her  quickness  of  step 
and  of  speech,  and  much  of  her  energy,  and  India  was  no 
longer  a  possibility.  After  part  of  a  year  in  Jenkintown 
with  her  foster  sisters,  Mrs.  Harvey  and  Miss  Steel,  she 
and  her  adopted  daughter  rejoined  the  son,  then  in  the 
Theological  Seminary  in  Princeton.  During  these  and 
the  earlier  years  in  Princeton,  she  had  not  only  been  ac- 
tive in  the  Woman's  Missionary  Society  of  the  Second 
Presbyterian  church,  but  had  been  an  earnest  worker  and 
leader  in  the  local  W.  C.  T.  U. 

In  November  1883  she  went  to  Ocean  Grove  to  visit 
some  dear  friends  and  there  was  taken  with  pneumonia, 
of  which  disease  she  died  on  December  26th.  Near  the 
end  there  had  fallen  a  cloud  of  strange  darkness,  but  with 
the  last  hour  came  joy  and  peace.  At  evening  time  it 
was  light. 

(The  following  is  the  testimony  of  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Har- 
vey, a  daughter  of  Dr.  Steel.) 

"Her  zeal  for  the  Master's  cause,  her  loving  heart, 
her   intellectual   ability,  her   general   attractiveness — so 


170     HISTORY  OF  ABINGTON  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 

miicli  that  was  admirable  and  lovely  in  every  way — ren- 
dered her  truly  one  set  apart  for  high  things ;  and  only  at 
the  day  when  all  secrets  are  revealed  will  we  know  of  all 
she  accomplished. ' ' 

Rev.  W.  A.  P.  Martin  was  attracted  to  Abington,  and 
he  married  Miss  Jane  Vansant,  November  13,  1849.  She 
was  a  cousin  of  Mrs.  Steel,  and  was  at  that  time  teaching 
a  large  school  in  Philadelphia. 

At  the  request  of  the  Compilers  of  this  History,  Dr. 
Martin  contributed  the  following : — 

"Peking,  November  13,  1906. 

Nicholas  Baggs,  Esq. 
Dear  Sir: — 

Yours  of  the  9tli  ult.  came  to  hand  this  afternoon,  and 
I  answer  it  before  the  close  of  the  day,  because  it  awakens 
pleasant  memories,  as  well  as  on  account  of  the  intrinsic 
value  of  the  records  which  your  Society  will  preserve. 

By  a  curious  coincidence,  your  letter  was  brought  in 
just  as  my  thoughts  were  going  back  to  the  happy  event 
of  which  this  is  the  57th  anniversary;  and  it  enclosed  an 
extract  from  the  records  of  the  church  relating  to  my  mar- 
riage in  1849. 

The  outline  of  my  life  for  which  you  ask  might  be 
found  in  Who 's  Who,  and  in  Sundry  Missionary  compila- 
tions; also  in  a  number  of  World's  AVork,  which  I  have 
heard  of  but  not  sent  for.  And,  I  think,  referring  you 
to  this  last,  I  take  pleasure  in  jotting  down  a  few  items  on 
the  next  leaf. 

Please  put  me  down  as  a  subscriber  for  the  History 
of  the  venerable  old  church.  It  will  be  welcomed  and 
promptly  paid  for  by  me,  or  by  my  heirs  if  I  should  be  de- 
parted this  life. 

Wishing  God's  blessing  on  your  enterprise,  which 
proffers  a  deeper  interest  than  that  of  mere  literature. 
Yours  sincerely, 

W.  A.  P.  MARTIN. 


SKETCH  OF  MY  LIFE. 

Supplied  by  Request. 

Birth.  Education  and  Marriage. 

My  two  grandsires  bore  anus  in  tlie  War  of  Indepen- 
dence, one  of  tliem  witnessed  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis, 
and  the  other  saw  a  British  Man-o-War  blown  up  by  hot 
shot,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Delaware.  My  mother's  father 
was  connected  with  the  Dutch  Colony  of  New  York,  but 
removed  to  Virginia,  where  she  was  born.  My  father 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  his  father  came  from  Col- 
eraine  in  Ireland.  They  were  married  in  Kentucky,  and 
removed  to  Indiana,  where  my  father  was  one  of  three 
pioneer  ministers  who  formed  the  first  Presbytery  of  that 
new  state.  His  first  and  last  pastorate  was  at  Tivonia, 
where  I  was  born  April  10, 1827.  There  he  opened  a  clas- 
sical school,  in  which  a  number  of  young  men  were  pre- 
pared for  the  ministry. 

I  was  prepared  for  college  mainly  at  home,  and  in 
1846  along  with  an  older  brother  graduated  at  the  State 
University  in  Bloomington.  There  I  met  with  two  men 
from  Abington,  viz:  Prof.  Alfred  Ryers,  and  Dr.  The- 
ophilus  Parvin,  both  of  whom  had  been  inmates  in  the 
family  of  that  best  of  men.  Dr.  Robert  Steel,  pastor  of  this 
church. 

After  a  course  of  three  years  at  the  Theological  Sem- 
inary of  New  Albany  (now  the  McCormick,  Chicago)  I 
married  Miss  Jane  Vansant  at  Abington,  November  13, 
1849. 

Being  a  cousin  of  Mrs.  Steel,  she  had  been  brought  up 
in  the  family  of  Dr.  Steel,  and  when  I  first  saw  her,  she 
was  teaching  a  large  school  in  Philadelphia. 

(171) 


172  HISTORY    OF 

ENTRANCE  ON  MISSIONARY  LIFE. 

We  proceeded  to  China  from  Boston,  via  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  and  were  four  and  a  half  months  at  sea  be- 
fore we  dropped  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Hong  Kong, 
where  we  arrived  on  April  10,  1850,  my  twenty-third 
birthday. 

Our  destination  was  Ningpo,  where  we  spent  ten 
happy  years,  during  which  we  contributed  something  to 
the  planting  of  the  church  in  China. 

CONNECTION  WITH  U.  S.  LEGATION. 

In  1858  I  was  invited  by  the  United  States  Minister, 
Mr.  Keed,  of  Philadelphia,  to  act  as  Interpreter  for  the 
Mandarin's  language  in  the  negotiation  of  a  treaty  at 
Tientsin  in  North  China.  The  following  year  I  acted  in 
the  same  capacity  for  Minister  Ward,  and  accompanied 
him  to  the  city  of  Peking.  Both  expeditions  enabled  me 
to  see  something  of  the  Arrow  War,  which  resulted  in  the 
opening  of  a  hitherto  exclusive  capitol. 

RESIDENCE  IN  PEKING. 

After  a  visit  home,  during  which  I  spent  a  year  with 
my  wife  and  four  boys  at  Abington;  I  returned  to  China 
and  opened  a  Mission  in  Peking,  in  1863,  organizing  a 
church  and  opening  a  school — the  High  School — now 
known  as  "Truth  Halh" 

A  translation  of  "Wheaton's  International  Law" 
which  I  brought  with  me,  led  to  my  appointment  as  Pro- 
fessor in  the  Imperial  Diplomatic  College,  of  which  I  was 
President  for  30  years. 

In  1898  when  the  Emporer  created  a  University,  he 
transferred  me  to  the  head  of  it,  making  me  a  Mandarin 
of  the  8th,  or  next  to  the  highest  rank.  The  University 
being  broken  up  by  the  Boxer  War  in  1900,  after  waiting 
in  vain  for  its  re-opening,  I  accepted  an  invitation  of  the 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  173 

Viceroy  Chang  of  Wuchong  in  1902  to  organize  a  Univer- 
sity and  teach  International  Law. 

RETURN  TO  PEKING. 

The  term  of  three  years  for  whicli  I  engaged  having 
expired,  I  visited  my  native  country  hist  year,  and  early 
last  spring  rejoined  the  Mission  in  the  Capitol  as  an  Hon- 
orary Member  without  salary.  The  invitation  came  from 
the  Mission  unsolicited,  and  was  sanctioned  by  the  Board. 

During  nearly  forty  years  in  the  educational  services 
of  the  Chinese  Government,  I  never  ceased  to  co-operate 
with  the  Mission,  looking  on  education  as  an  auxiliary 
agency. 

For  the  last  thirteen  years  I  have  continued  by  pil- 
grimage without  the  companionship  of  my  dear  wife, 
whose  sanctified  spirit  was  called  home  in  1893.  Of  our 
four  sons  (we  had  no  daughters),  one  died  in  China;  one 
is  Professor  in  Trinity  College,  Hartford;  one  is  a  lawyer 
in  New  York,  and  the  youngest,  an  engineer  in  Ohio. 

Happy  to  serve  God  while  he  gives  me  the  strengtli 
to  do  so,  I  calmly  look  to  a  time  not  far  distant  when  T 
shall  be  sleeping  by  the  side  of  my  sainted  wife  in  our 
suburban  cemetery.  To  China  I  have  given  my  life,  and 
China  shall  have  my  ashes.  W.  A.  P.  M. 

BOOKS  BY  DR.  MARTIN. 

In  English:— (1)  A  Cje\e  in  Cathay,  The  Lore  of 
Cathay,  The  Siege  of  Peking,  China's  Awakening  (ia 
Press). 

In  Chinese: — Evidences  of  Christianity,  Natural  Phil- 
osophy, Mental  Philosophy,  Four  Text  Books  on  Interna- 
tional Law. 

(1)  This  book  (Eevell,  New  York)  contains  a  pretty 
full  delineation  of  my  travels,  labors  and  observations 
during  my  long  life  in  China.  You  are  specially  referred 
to  it. 


ABINGTON  CHURCH 

FROM 

1904  TO  1914 

BY 

James  W.  Williams 


(175) 


The  Golden  Age  lies  onirard,  not  heJnnd. 
The  pathway  through  the  Past  has  led  us  up. 
The  pathway  through  the  Future  will  lead  on 
And  higher.  *     *     *     * 

If  we  but  fight  the  wrong,  and  keep  the  faith, 
And  battle  for  the  Future,  All  mankind 
Will  bless  us  in  the  days  that  are  to  come. 

— Edgcrton. 


(176) 


REV.  JAMES  W.  WILLIAMS. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

PRESENT  OFFICERS  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

Minister 
James  W.  Williams,  A.  M. 

Eiders 

Roberts  Stevenson,  Harry  C.  Roberts: 

William  A.  Craven. 

Clerk  of  Session:    Roberts  Stevenson 

Board  of  Trustees 
Frank  K.  Fenton,  James  P.  McFarland, 

H.  C.  Roberts,  H.  C.  Williams, 

Frank  T.  Bockius,  M.  J.  Hoover, 

William  A.  Craven,  Charles  Ambler, 

Robert  McTammany. 

President:    James  P.  McFarland. 

Secretary :    W.  A.  Craven. 

Treasurer:    Frank  K.  Fenton. 

Sexton :    Isaiah  Branin. 

ORGANIZATIONS. 

t^unday  ScJiool 
Superintendent:    W.  A.  Craven. 
Secretary:    David  Houpt. 
Treasurer:    Miss  S.  Hallowell. 
Librarian:    John  Kiffee. 

(177) 


178  HISTORY    OF 

Teachers 
Eoberts  Stevenson,  Mrs.  J.  W.  Williams, 

Miss  Reba  Bockius,  Miss  Ethel  Hamel, 

Miss  Sarah  Hallowell,  Miss  Bertha  Winder, 

Wesley  Barnes,  Cap't.  N.  Baggs, 

Mrs.  W.  A.  Craven,  Miss  Hester  Tull, 

Mrs.  Emily  W.  Ambler,  Miss  Jennie  Warr, 

Miss  Eleanor  Fenton,  Frank  Ambler, 

Miss  Edith  Michener. 

Superintendent  of  Primary  Department 
Miss  Anna  Fulmer. 

Teachers 
Miss  Martha  Messer,  Mrs.  R.  McTammany, 

Miss  Ethel  M.  Boutcher,        Miss  Margaret  Messer. 

Susan  B.  Smith  Mission  Band 
Treasurer — Miss  Reba  A.  Bockius. 

Womaws  Missionary  Society 
President — Mrs.  Harry  C.  Roberts. 

Vice  Presidents 
Mrs.  H.  S.  Ambler  Mrs.  J.  W.  Williams 

Mrs.  Theo.  Wynkoop  Mrs.  George  Hamel,  Jr. 

Secretary — Mrs.  W.  A.  Craven 

Treasurers 
Mrs.  George  F.  Grieb  Miss  A.  Saunders 

Mrs.  J.  M.  Colton 

Box  Secretary — Mrs.  F.  T.  Bockius 

Secretary  of  Literature — Miss  Hallowell 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  179 

Collectors 
Mrs.  A.  R.  Mann,  Mrs.  J.  C.  Hunter, 

Mrs.  George  F.  Grieb,  Miss  Boutcher, 

Mrs.  F.  T.  Bockius,  Mrs.  Charles  Ambler, 

Miss  Van  Winkle,  Miss  Fenton. 

Ladies  Aid  Society 

President — Mrs.  M.  J.  Hoover. 

Treasurer — Miss  Sarah  Hallowell. 

Secretary — Mrs.  J.  W.  Williams. 

Westminster  Guild 

President — Miss  Bertha  Winder. 

Vice  Presidents — Mrs.  Albert  Streeper;  Miss  Nila  Cook 

Treasurer — Miss  Martha  Messer. 

Study  Leader — Mrs.  J,  W.  Williams. 


The  last  decade  of  the  history  of  this  venerable 
church  deals  with  events  and  people  fresh  in  the  recollec- 
tion of  many  now  living  and  propriety  forbids  any 
lengthy  commentary  upon  either.  It  would  be  much 
easier  and  safer  to  write  of  times  that  have  been  than  of 
these  that  are  now  here ;  and  besides,  those  who  make  his- 
tory are  poor  writers  of  the  same.  We  who  are  now  upon 
the  field  of  action  have  not  yet  gained  the  clear  and  true 
perspective  which  will  be  revealed  to  the  eyes  that  survey 
the  landscape  in  the  days  that  are  to  come.  Future  gen- 
erations will  be  better  fitted  to  look  back  with  unbiased 
judgment  at  our  successes  and  our  failures  and  tell  the 
story  in  their  own  way.  On  the  question  of  what  is  wise 
to  insert  in  these  last  few  pages,  and  what  is  best  to  ex- 
clude, no  two  persons  would  judge  precisely  alike.  To 
write  the  whole  history  covering  the  present  pastorate 
would  include  facts  or  comments  interesting  to  some  but 
not  to  others. 


180  HISTORY    OF 

In  the  preceding  chapters  we  have  the  record  of  those 
who  labored  faithfully  for  the  Master's  cause  since  the 
year  1714.  For  200  years  this  venerable  church  has 
stood  here  at  the  top  of  the  hill,  like  the  Tabernacle  of  old, 
and  generation  after  generation  has  come  to  worship  in 
this  sanctuary,  hallowed  to  the  service  of  Almighty  God, 
and  have  gone  away,  saying,  ' '  'Tis  blessed  to  believe. ' ' 
How  many  messages  of  salvation  have  been  delivered. 
How  many  hearts  have  been  made  to  rejoice.  Think  of 
the  number  who  here  decided  to  take  up  their  cross  and 
bear  eloquent  testimony  for  the  Master  of  Gallilee,  who 
have  been  comforted,  supported  and  strengthened  by  a 
power  that  was  not  of  the  earth,  and  who  proved  the 
worth  of  their  religion  for  themselves  and  others,  who 
''fought  a  good  fight"  and  "kept  the  faith,"  and  then 
obeyed  the  call  to  ' '  come  up  higher. ' '  Through  these 
two  hundred  years  past,  the  church  has  had  a  wide  outlet 
for  its  activities  and  abundant  access  to  those  who  need 
the  Grospel  message  of  salvation,  through  the  services  of 
its  missions,  six  of  which  are  now  independent  churches. 

Our  history  is  a  record  of  Divine  leadership  and 
man 's  stewardship. 

Dr.  Henry  Van  Dyke,  writing  from  the  U.  S.  Lega- 
tion at  The  Hague,  Netherlands,  says,  ' '  The  Abington 
church  has  a  deep  and  intimate  interest  for  m.e,  because 
it  was  there  that  my  dear  and  honored  father  began  his 
religious  life  and  made  his  first  confession  of  faith  in 
Christ.  The  great  and  quiet  work  which  such  a  church 
does  for  the  cause  of  faith  and  goodness  among  men,  re- 
ceives a  concrete  illustration  in  the  life  of  my  father,  who 
'carried  out  through  long  years  of  usefulness  and  wide  in- 
fluence, the  lessons  and  the  inspiration  which  he  received 
in  his  boyhood  at  Abington."  "How  far  that  little 
candle  throws  its  beams." 

In  the  two  centuries  during  which  our  church  has  liv- 
ed and  labored,  a  power  for  good  has  gone  forth  from  it, 
which  it  is  impossible  to  estimate  and  appraise  by  human 
standards. 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  181 

Speak  History!  Who  are  life's  heroes, 
Unroll  thy  long  annals  and  say, — 
Are  they  men  whom  the  world  calls  heroes, 
Who  won  the  success  of  a  day! 

As  previously  stated  the  present  pastorate  began  in 
February  1904.  First  of  all,  we  need  to  thank  our  coven- 
ant-keeping God  for  his  constant  mercies,  who  has  piloted 
us  safely  through  dangers  seen  and  unseen,  who  has  kept 
'the  flame  of  religious  life  still  burning  brightly  in  this 
prolific  and  fostering  mother  of  neighboring  churches. 
In  our  large  cities  many  a  mother  church,  having  given 
birth  to  one  or  more  children,  has  seemed  to  die  in  the  at- 
tempt, or  because  of  changing  conditions  and  shifting 
population  has  ceased  to  exist;  but  our  church  here  still 
stands  in  the  fore-front  of  the  battle,  keeping  pace  with 
the  population,  still  holding  forth  the  Word  of  Life,  and 
God's  banner  of  love  still  floating  over  us.  A  providen- 
tial call  to  renewed  consecration  comes  with  this  Bi-Cen- 
tennial  season.  It  has  been  a  call  to  look  backward  and 
see  God's  guiding  hand,  but  it  is  also  a  call  to  look  for- 
ward, and  enter  into  the  Master's  service  with  greater 
zeal  and  earnestness.  For  ' '  They  that  wait  upon  the 
Lord,  shall  renew  their  strength." 

During  the  present  pastorate,  as  we  learn  from  the 
official  records,  122  have  been  received  into  the  member- 
ship of  the  church,  74  on  profession  of  faith,  and  48  by  let- 
ters from  other  churches.  During  this  time  29  have  died 
and  31  have  been  dismissed.  A  few  names  have  been, 
for  sufficient  and  appropriate  reasons,  dropped  from  the 
roll;  while  in  1904,  at  the  beginning  of  this  pastorate,  60 
names  of  those  who  had  lapsed  or  moved  from  the  neigh- 
borhood and  whose  residence  was  not  known,  were  placed 
upon  the  reserve  list.  It  is  significant  to  note  here  that 
while  only  29  have  died,  yet,  without  any  exception  these 
29  have  been  among  the  most  prominent  and  influential 
members  of  the  church ;  five  of  them  being  elders  and 


182 


HISTORY    OF 


;tliree  trustees.  This  has  been  a  loss  to  our  church  in 
many  ways,  financially  as  well  as  numerically.  The  pres- 
ent membership  of  the  church,  as  reported  this  year  to  the 
General  Assembly,  is  212.  The  Sunday  School  member- 
ship 225. 

In  order  to  save  time  and  space  a  summary  of  the 
contributions  to  the  various  Boards  of  the  church  cover- 
ing the  last  decade  is  here  given: 

To  the  Board  of  Home  Missions $14,935.00 

''     ''       *'       ''   Foreign  Missions 10,293.00 

"     "       "       "   Education   1,514.00 

"     "       ''       ''  S.  S.  work 759.00 

''     ''       "       ''   Church  Erection  1,131.00 

"     "       "       "   Ministerial  Belief 2,159.00 

"     "       "       "  Freedmen    1,011.00 

"     ' '       ' '       "  Aid  for  Colleges 1,301.00 

"     ''       "       "   Temperance    1,276.00 

' '  miscellaneous    3,489.00 

"   General  Assembly  assessment 190.60 

''  Congregational  .' 45,080.00 


As  will  be  seen  by  this  report  $37,868  has  been  given 
to  benevolences,  $190.60  to  expenses  of  the  General  As- 
sembly, and  $45,080  has  been  contributed  to  the  expenses 
of  the  local  church. 

As  far  as  we  have  the  data  only  one  other  church  in 
proportion  to  membership,  in  the  Presbytery  of  Philadel- 
phia North  has  excelled  Abington  in  gifts  to  benevolences 
during  this  period. 

ABINGTON'S  PARISH  ABROAD. 

The  following  account  of  our  "Parish  Abroad"  was 
prepared  by  Mr.  J.  M.  Colton,  one  of  our  Elders,  and  is 
dated  January  28,  1911:— 

"In  the  early  part  of  1907  Abington  church  became 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  183 

interested  in  a  new  phase  of  Foreign  Mission  Work — the 
' '  Forward  Movement ' ' — and  asked  for  and  were  assigned 
— by  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions — a  part  interest  in 
the  support  of  the  Jhansi  Station,  India,  as  our  "Parish 
Abroad, ' '  the  church  pledging  themselves  to  try  and  raise 
$1,000  a  year  for  this  Parish. 

We  were  moved  to  ask  for  Jhansi,  from  the  fact  that 
Mrs.  Henry  Forman,  the  wife  of  the  Missionary  in  charge 
of  the  Station,  was  formerly  Miss  Sophie  Newton,  the 
daughter  of  a  missionary,  but  brought  up  in  Abington, 
and  a  member  of  our  church  and  Sabbath  school. 

Jhansi  is  in  the  "Heart  of  India"  somewhat  over  100 
miles  from  the  Station  at  Allahabad  on  the  Ganges  Eiver, 
and  is  quite  a  large  city,  with  railroad  connections  and 
outlying  suburbs.  At  the  Mission  compound  they  have 
a  fine  church  and  reading  room  combined,  and  schools. 
In  the  suburb  of  "Sipri  Bazaar"  near  the  large  railroad 
shops,  a  second  church  and  hostels  have  recently  been 
built,  through  the  efforts  of  friends  in  Philadelphia.  Pho- 
tographs of  this  new  church  are  hanging  in  the  vestibule 
of  Abington  church. 

Jhansi  Mission  was  established  in  1886,  has  done  a 
great  work,  and  is  of  increasing  importance. 

Note: — In  1912  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Henry  Forman  moved 
from  the  Jhansi  Station  to  Gwalior,  U.  P.,  India.  In 
1913  Mrs.  Forman  died  and  her  husband  returned  to  the 
United  States;  but  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Colton  in  June 
of  last  year  $1,000  was  sent  yearly  by  Abington  church  in 
support  of  the  Jhansi  Station,  Mr.  Colton  being  a  gener- 
ous contributor. 

WESTMINSTER  GUILD. 

On  September  10th,  1912  the  young  ladies  of  the 
church  were  invited  to  the  manse  for  the  purpose  of  or- 
ganizing a  society  in  the  interest  of  missions.  It  was  de- 
cided that  it  should  be  a  chapter  of  the    Westminster 


184  HISTORY    OF 

Guild,  adhering  strictly  to  the  rules  of  this  organization. 
Each  year  a  Home  and  Foreign  Missions  text  book  was  to 
be  studied  and  most  of  the  money  raised,  by  dues  and  en- 
tertainments, was  to  be  divided  between  the  Home  and 
Foreign  Board,  and  the  balance  to  be  expended  for  local 
causes.  Members  were  enrolled  and  the  following- 
officers  were  elected: 

President — Miss  Bertha  Winder ;  vise  president,  Mrs. 
Albert  Streeper;  second  vice  president.  Miss  Nila  Cook; 
treasurer,  Miss  Elsie  Ramsey;  secretary.  Miss  Myrtle 
Sprang;  study  leader,  Mrs.  James  W.  Williams. 

As  Miss  Ramsey  moved  from  the  neighborhood  short- 
ly after  the  organization.  Miss  Martha  Messer  took  her 
place  as  treasurer.  Much  enthusiasm  was  shown  during 
the  year  in  the  topics  for  study  and  at  the  close  of  each 
subject  the  Guild  took  charge  of  the  Wednesday  evening 
prayer  meeting  and  the  different  members  told  the  sub- 
stance of  what  they  had  lately  learned.  The  amount  of 
money  raised  the  first  year  was  $68.13.  During  the  sec- 
ond year  $86.31.  The  second  year's  work  was  carried  on 
along  the  same  lines,  showing  an  increase  in  interest  and 
contributions  and  gives  promise  of  greater  things  in  days 
to  come. 

ITEMS  OF  VARIED  INTEREST. 

In  January,  1906,  Rev.  C.  A.  Killie,  of  the  Paotingfu 
Mission  Station,  China,  who  had  been  in  the  Boxer  Up- 
rising, visited  Abington  church,  telling  the  story  in  his 
own  dramatic  way  of  what  he  had  witnessed  during  those 
troublesome  times,  and  secured  a  contribution  of  $50  for 
Chinese  mission  work. 

On  April  22nd,  1906  an  offering  of  $100  was  made  in 
behalf  of  those  who  had  suffered  by  the  earthquake  dis- 
aster in  California. 

In  1906,  through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  J.  M.  Colton^. 
elder,  the  interior  of  the  church  was  renovated  and  beau- 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  185 

tified  by  the  frescoing  of  the  walls,  removing  the  old  car- 
pet from  beneath  the  pews  and  putting  new  carpet  in  the 
aisles  and  on  the  pulpit  platform.  The  cushions  also 
were  re-covered  in  a  manner  to  harmonize  with  furniture 
and  carpet.  This  was  accomplished  at  a  cost  of  $1,360. 
Also  two  memorial  windows  were  placed  on  the  north  side 
of  the  church. 

SUNDAY  SCHOOL. 

It  would  probably  be  as  unwise  as  it  would  be  untrue 
to  say  that  Abington  church  has  always  had  a  Sunday 
school.  But  we  can  find  no  historical  material  telling  us 
when  our  School  had  its  beginning.  As  there  were  few 
Sunday  schools  so  called  before  the  year  1800  it  is  quite 
likely  that  Abington  began  religious  instruction  for  the 
children  as  early  as  any  of  our  older  churches.  In  the 
early  days  these  schools  were  not,  as  they  are  now,  separ- 
ate and  independent  organizations,  but  were  considered  to 
be  the  same  thing  as  the  church  itself,  meeting  for  the 
special  purpose  of  Bible  study  with  its  young  people. 

Like  most  churches,  Abington  owes  much  to  its  Sunday 
School,  as  to  a  large  extent  this  is  the  recruiting  ground 
for  church  membership.  For  a  number  of  years  and  un- 
til 1904  the  superintendent  was  Mr.  Jno.  C.  Hunter.  In 
1904  Mr.  Harry  H.  Fox  was  elected  to  this  office,  and  held 
it  until  March  1907,  when  he  moved  to  Norristown.  From 
1907  to  1911  the  Superintendent  was  Mr.  Russel  Niblock, 
who  has  lately  moved  to  Portland,  Oregon.  The  office  is 
held  at  the  present  time  by  Mr.  William  A.  Craven,  Elder 
of  the  church.  Years  ago  steps  were  taken  toward  hav- 
ing the  expenses  of  the  school  met  by  the  church,  so  that 
the  children  might  be  trained  to  giving  for  missions  and 
other  benevolent  causes,  instead  of  finding  themselves  re- 
quired to  pay  for  their  own  schooling.  During  these  ten 
years  the  school  has  contributed  $686  to  Home  Missions; 
$598  to  Foreign  Missions;  $303  to  Sunday  School  Mission 


186  HISTORY    OF 

work;  $80  to  the  Pennsylvania  Bible  Society;  and  $40  to 
the  Presbyterian  Orphanage,  while  the  Susan  B.  Smith 
Mission  Band,  which  now  comprises  the  whole  school,  has 
contributed  $435  to  Foreign  Missions.  In  1904  the  mem- 
bership of  the  school  as  reported  to  the  General  Assembly 
was  129.  This  year  the  report  was  225.  Not  for  many 
years  has  our  school  been  in  such  a  prosperous  and  prom- 
ising condition. 

THE  ELDERSHIP. 

One  of  the  most  important  parts  of  Abington  history 
deals  with  the  men  who  have  filled  the  position  of  Ruling 
Elders.  At  the  beginning  of  the  year  1904  the  church 
had  four  elders :  Albert  R.  Mann,  Jas.  Van  Horn,  John  C. 
Hunter  and  Roberts  Stevenson. 

One  of  the  very  pleasant  duties  we  had  to  perform  at 
the  beginning  of  the  present  pastorate  was  to  ordain  three 
more  elders  to  the  above  number :  J.  Milton  Colton,  Harry 
H.  Fox  and  George  Hamel,  Jr.  Including  the  Pastor  this 
made  eight  members  in  the  Session.  Perhaps  few  churches 
of  the  size  of  Abington  have  been  able  to  boast  of  such  a 
strong  body  of  men  to  rule  and  carry  forward  their  spirit- 
ual work,  but  little  did  we  realize  at  the  time  that  God  had 
other  plans  in  store  for  these  staunch  and  true  men  than 
ruling  his  church  militant,  and  that  this  happy  organized 
condition  was  to  be  so  soon  disturbed;  for  in  1913  death 
had  called  away  five  of  our  number,  one  had  been  dismiss- 
ed to  the  Central  church  at  Norristown,  and  Abington  was 
left  with  but  one  elder  in  its  Session. 

The  first  to  [be  called  away  by  death  was  Albert  R. 
Mann,  who  died  May  19th,  1904.  He  was  a  connection  of 
the  Mann  family,  who  have  been  identified  with  Abington 
church  back  as  far  as  the  year  1800. 

Years  ago  when  Abington,  the  Mother  church,  was 
administering  to  her  various  missions  and  out-posts, 
which  have  now  become  independent  churches,  the  name 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  187 

of  Albert  Mann  frequently  occurs  among  those  who  trav- 
eled thither  and  rendered  valuable  service.  For  a  num- 
ber of  years  he  was  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school 
at  Willow  Grove. 

James  Van  Horn  united  with  the  church  August  20th, 
1881  and  was  ordained  as  ruling  elder  June  16th,  1882. 
From  this  time  on  until  sickness  rendered  him  incapable 
of  traveling  from  Hatboro  to  Abington,  Mr.  Van  Horn 
was  known  for  his  fidelity,  his  constancy  and  his  beauti- 
ful Christian  spirit.  His  counsel  and  wise  advice  were 
always  sought  by  his  brethren  in  the  eldership,  while  a 
former  minister  of  the  church  called  him  "the  Pastor's 
Refuge. ' ' 

Mr.  Harry  H.  Fox  was  dismissed  to  Norristown, 
March  8th,  1907. 

John  C.  Hunter  was  ordained  an  elder  June  13tli, 
1880.  Like  Mr.  Albert  Mann,  Mr.  Hunter  had  in  former 
years  given  much  of  his  time  and  effort  towards  assisting 
Abington 's  various  missions;  somictimes  acting  as  super- 
intendent of  the  Sunday  school,  and  at  other  times  speak- 
ing at  the  mid-week  prayer  meetings.  We  found  on  com- 
ing to  Abington  that  the  church  had  no  more  loyal  friend 
and  wise  counselor  than  Mr.  Hunter;  and  when  he  died, 
April  9th,  1912,  we  felt  that  the  church  sustained  a  loss 
that  could  not  be  easily  supplied. 

We  might  add  here  the  words  that  were  used  at  a 
service  held  in  the  church  in  his  memory :  Mr.  Hunter  was 
never  actuated  by  sinister  motives.  Nobody  looked  in 
his  shadow  for  treason  or  stratagem  or  malice.  He  was 
like  the  crystal,  solid  but  translucent.  You  could  see 
through  him  and  love  him,  because  he  unconsciously 
sought  and  bore  the  test  of  sunlight.  He  was  a  strong 
man  because  he  was  sincere.  He  had  all  the  tenderness 
of  real  strength  and  all  the  strength  of  real  tenderness. 

Mr.  George  Hamel,  Jr.,  was  ordained  an  elder  on  Feb- 
ruary 21st,  1904.  At  this  time  he  was  also  superinten- 
dent of  the  Sunday  School  of  Grace  Presbyterian  church, 


188  HISTORY    OF 

Jenkintown,  an  outgrowth  of  Abington  church,  and  which 
office  he  held  until  1907.  Like  the  others  already  men- 
tioned Mr.  Hamel  was  a  devoted  and  faithful  member  at 
Abington,  taking  a  deep  interest  in  all  the  affairs  of  the 
church,  both  secular  and  spiritual,  for  he  was  also  a 
trustee.  He  had  many  traits  of  character  that  endeared 
him  to  all  who  knew  him.  His  sjTiipathy  with  human 
life  in  all  its  various  stages  and  experiences,  his  spirit  of 
self-sacrifice,  his  good  cheer  and  liberal  hospitality  will 
long  remain  in  the  memory  of  a  great  host  of  friends.  He 
had  also  many  of  the  sweet  charities  of  life  and  the  beauty 
that  best  adorns  character.  Although  he  died  at  the  age 
of  58,  when  his  services  were  greatly  needed  in  our  local 
church,  let  us  not  say  that  his  life  was  incomplete,  for  in 
the  light  of  God's  revelation  we  see  there  can  be  no  such 
thing  as  an  unfinished  Christian  life. 

Among  the  men  who  have  done  much  for  Abington 
church  during  these  latter  years  there  has  been  perhaps 
no  more  vivid  personality  than  that  of  Mr.  J.  Milton  Col- 
ton,  who  was  ordained  an  Elder  February  21st,  1904.  For 
many  years  and  until  the  day  of  his  death,  June  5th,  1913, 
he  was  also  the  secretary  of  the  Board  of  Trustees.  Mr. 
Ccltou  was  a  man  of  activity,  took  a  large  interest  in  Ab- 
ington church  and  gave  largely  of  his  means  to  further 
the  cause  of  Christ  in  this  vicinity.  As  a  leader  he  had 
the  happy  faculty  of  inducing  others  to  give,  especially 
towards  benevolences.  Through  his  efforts  and  gener- 
osity the  church  has  received  many  gifts  and  improve- 
ments. During  these  years  of  his  eldership,  and  his  ser- 
vice, Mr.  Colton  was  faithful,  not  only  in  his  attendance 
upon  the  regular  meetings  of  the  session,  but  in  all  the 
duties  of  his  office.  As  a  church  member  he  was  exem- 
plary; always  in  his  place,  a  devout  worshipper,  and  pre- 
pared for  every  good  work.  His  piety  was  that  of  prin- 
ciple rather  than  emotion;  and  it  was  too  much  occupied 
in  conduct  to  have  any  energy  to  spare  for  display.  In 
all  movements  intended  to  advance  the  cause  of  Christ 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  189 

Jie  was  an  earnest  and  wise  helper.  At  no  time  of  his  life 
had  his  influence  been  so  widely  acknowledged  and  bene- 
ficially felt  as  at  the  moment  when  it  all  ceased.  Let  us 
give  all  diligence  to  make  our  calling  and  election  sure. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  during  these  last  ten  years 
many  changes  have  taken  place,  and  these  changes  have 
been  more  significant  than  at  first  appears.  Many  saints 
who  labored  here  in  other  days  have  departed,  and  with 
their  successors  have  come  conditions  which  their  prede- 
cessors never  knew.  But  the  affectionate  interest  that 
centers  in  this  ancient  location,  with  its  historic  church- 
yard and  its  hallowed  burial-ground,  and  the  fond  attach- 
ment for  the  church  itself,  furnishes  a  good  guarantee  for 
the  present  and  the  future.  For  let  us  not  imagine  that 
the  glory  and  merit  of  Abington  church  lies  wholly  in  its 
past  history.  The  prestige  of  these  two  hundred  years  is 
a  valuable  asset  for  the  days  that  are  now  here  and  those 
that  are  to  come.  ^ '  The  past  must  lend  itself  to  the  pres- 
ent for  the  sake  of  the  future. ' '  Abington  is  not  a  church 
languishing  and  expiring  of  old  age ;  but  is  ' '  still  a  green 
tree,  fresh  and  pliable. ' ' 

Those  who  have  selected  and  will  select  for  them- 
selves this  church  as  the  home  and  field  of  their  Christian 
service,  must  join  hands  in  a  common  cause,  and  labor 
diligently  for  the  God  of  our  fathers  and  our  God.  The 
future  will  be  what  we  make  it,  and  it  lies  within  our 
power  by  God's  blessing  resting  upon  us,  and  his  strength 
enabling  us  to  make  that  future  glorious.  For  He  who 
helped  those  who  have  gone  before  says:  "I  will  never 
leave  thee  nor  forsake  thee. ' ' 

In  addition  to  the  roll  of  membership  previously  re- 
ported, the  following  are  to  be  added : 
Ambler,  Miss  Mary  Davis,  Abington. 
Ambler,  Mrs.  Mary  Jones,  Abington. 
Ambler,  Frank  Rhoades,  Abington. 
Aiman,  Miss  Bertha  May,  Abington. 


190  HISTORY    OF 

Barrett,  Ralph,  Terwood. 

Barrett,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Lowrie,  Abington. 

Brunner,  Miss  Ann  Elizabeth,  Abington. 

Bockius,  Miss  Marion  Elizabeth,  Abington. 

Boutcher,  Miss  Ethel  May,  Abington. 

Cook,  E.  Job,  Roslyn. 

Cook,  Mrs.  Lourina  C,  Roslyn. 

Cook,  Miss  Nila  J.,  Roslyn. 

Craven,  William  A.,  Noble. 

Craven,  Mrs.  Amelia  S.,  Noble. 

Davenport,  Mrs.  Martha,  Willow  Grove. 

Fenton,  Miss  Eleanor  Harvey,  Hatboro. 

Fenton,  Clifford  Levering,  Hatboro. 

Fenton,  Miss  Florence  Trasel,  Hatboro. 

Hoover,  Manrice  Jackson,  Wyncote. 

Hoover,  Mrs.  Mary  B.,  Wyncote. 

Houpt,  Henry  Lloyd,  Abington. 

Houpt,  Mrs,  Amanda  Stont,  Abington. 

Howell,  William  C,  Abington. 

Howell,  Mrs.  Mary  W.,  Abington. 

Kripps,  Mrs.  Esther  Elizabeth,  Abington. 

Kline,  Miss  Edith  Livinia,  Abington. 

Kiffee,  Oliver  Payson  Rex,  Abington. 

Liesee,  Frederick  Philip,  Abington. 

Liesee,  Mrs.  Carrie  Alice,  Abington. 

Larzelere,  Mrs.  Helen  Manr,  Abington. 

Lanning,  Mrs.  Mary  McCutchen,  Abington. 

Mann,  Miss  Lydia  VanArtsdalen,  Southampton. 

Messer,  Mrs.  Frances  G.  P.,  Abington. 

Messer,  Miss  Martha  P.,  Abington. 

Messer,  Miss  Margarett  Dare,  Abington. 

Michener,  Miss  Edith,  Willow  Grove. 

Michener,  Walter  C,  Willow  Grove. 

McFarland,  Mrs.  Mary  Moore,  Ogontz. 

Mcllhair,  Mrs.  Maggie,  Abington. 

McTammany,  Robert,  Abington. 

McTammany,  Mrs.  Gertrude  Bonnell,  Abington. 


ABINGTON    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH  191 

McKeown,  Adam,  Willow  Grove. 
Niblock,  James  D.,  Meadowbrook. 
Eotzell,  Miss  Marie  Annie,  Abington. 
Rotzell,  Miss  Helen  Lever,  Abington. 
Streeper,  Albert  Levering,  Eoslyn. 
Stewart,  Miss  Rebecca,  Abington. 
Sprang,  Miss  Myrtle  Slaugli,  Abington. 
Shaffer,  Mrs.  Eva,  Abington. 
Shaffer,  Mrs.  Helen  Lefferts,  Abington. 
Saunders,  Miss  Annie,  Abington. 
Stewart,  Miss  Mary  K.,  Abington. 
Starkey,  Miss  Evelyn  Pope,  Abington. 
Saylor,  John  Henry,  Abington. 
Taylor,  Mrs.  Charlotte  F.  S.,  Jenkintown. 
Van  Artsdalen,  Mrs.  Helena,  Willow  Grove. 
Weiss,  Mrs.  Leonora  S.,  Hatboro. 

Wrampelmeir,  John  T., 

Wheatland,  Miss  Florence  W.,  Meadowbrook. 
Wheatland,  Miss  Alice  May,  Oak  Lane. 
Wasser,  Miss  Ida  Irene,  Abington. 
Warr,  Miss  Margaret  Anna,  Abington. 
Williams,  Harry  Calvin,  Abington. 
Willard,  May  Edna,  Abington. 


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